


i hate you but

by buckybarnesthehotshot



Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Avengers AU, Avengers Imagine, Bucky Barnes AU, Bucky Barnes Angst, Bucky Barnes Fanfic, Bucky barnes x reader - Freeform, F/F, avengers x reader - Freeform, avengers x y/n, avengers x you, bucky barnes imagine, bucky barnes series, bucky barnes x y/n - Freeform, bucky barnes x you - Freeform, winter soldier fanfic, winter soldier imagine, winter soldier x reader - Freeform, winter soldier x y/n, winter soldier x you
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-03
Updated: 2020-09-03
Packaged: 2021-03-06 23:41:06
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 20
Words: 41,321
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26267395
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/buckybarnesthehotshot/pseuds/buckybarnesthehotshot
Summary: bucky and y/n can’t stand each other, but y/n needs help with her sister’s kids (enemies to lovers au)
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes & Reader, James "Bucky" Barnes/Reader
Comments: 2
Kudos: 43





	1. i hate you but we're teammates

**Author's Note:**

> a series from my Tumblr acc

Bucky and y/n despised each other. Why? It was all because Bucky Barnes was a pain in her ass. Well, to be fair, y/n always made sure to return the favor.

After everything that went down with Thanos, SHIELD, as well as the Avengers, were reinstated by the government to fight off any threats against the planet’s safety. Of course, with SHIELD being reinstated, HYDRA was back in business.

Well, at least HYRDA was trying to get back to business. Since SHIELD was reinstated, they were one hell of a thorn in HYDRA’s side. With SHIELD actively shutting down HYDRA’s attempts to resurface, the Avengers barely had to leave the Avengers Compound to leave on missions. Well, that was both a blessing and a curse. 

After the battle with Thanos, Bucky decided Wakanda was no longer for him. With Sam taking on the responsibility of being Captain America, he knew he also wanted to be out there protecting the innocent instead of taking care of those goats who keep shitting in the grass.

He just didn’t expect adjusting to life in the tower to be so difficult. Having Earth’s mightiest heroes under one roof was not a good idea. The day Bucky walked in through the doors of the compound, he knew the h/c-haired girl was bound to be a problem.

No, she wasn’t anything compared to HYDRA, but it was like everything she did was meant to inconvenience Bucky in any way possible. Bucky was stuck in the basement? It was because y/n accidentally broke the elevator. The mission didn’t go as planned? Bucky was quick to point the finger at y/n.

You see, she wasn’t doing any of these things on purpose; she was just naturally a thorn in his side. After years of being a SHIELD agent, she knew what she was doing all the time—well, most of the time.

“Damn it, y/n! You left the stove on!” the brunet yelled through the high-pitched ringing of the fire alarms. y/n flinched as she walked into the room, her ears beginning to ring as the alarm blared.

“I thought I turned that off!” y/n shouted back at him, her hands covering her ears.

“Well, you didn’t! Couldn’t you have checked to see if you actually turned it off?” Bucky crossed his arms over his chest.

“What the fuck was I supposed to do? Put my hand over the hot-ass stove to see if it was cooling down?” y/n held her hands up in defense.

“Yes! At least that would’ve kept this place from going up in flames!” Bucky exclaimed, trying to fan the smoke away from the stove with a tattered white rag.

“FRIDAY, turn off the smoke alarms and activate the vents!” y/n requested over all the noise. The smoke alarms stopped and y/n could finally hear everything clearly again and the smoke began to clear. y/n saw the pissed off expression Bucky sported but that wasn’t exactly the first thing she noticed.

Bucky was shirtless, his white t-shirt damp and in his flesh arm. y/n would never tell him aloud, but damn, this man was hot.

“How did I not think of doing that?” Bucky questioned himself, his brows furrowing at how easy it was for y/n turn off the alarms and clear the smoke.

“That’s because you’re stupid,” y/n smiled as Bucky grumbled in response, “Also, I swear, I turned the stove off. I’ve never not turned the stove off.”

“What the fuck is all the commotion about? And why is there smoke everywhere?” Sam coughed, walking into the kitchen.

“y/n left the stove on and burned away half the kitchen!” Bucky exclaimed, pointing to the burnt remains of what used to be the kitchen behind him.

“Oh,” Sam flinched at the sight.

“Yeah, I know! This is probably one of y/n’s worst mistakes to date!” Bucky exclaimed and a frown made its way to y/n’s way. She was so sure she’d turned the stove off after she made noodles.

“Hate to break it to you, but I was the one who left the stove on,” Sam admitted, Bucky’s lips formed a nervous smile as he was now awaiting the scolding he was about to receive from y/n.

“Boom, bitch! I didn’t burn down the kitchen! Are you finally going to admit you accuse me of shit that isn’t my fault?” y/n jumped in front of him, an expectant smile on her face.

“When most of it is actually your fault? Not a chance,” Bucky squinted as he shook his head. y/n groaned, clenching her fists at her side before storming off into her room.

“I really think you shouldn’t be as harsh on her as you are. I know you lost Steve and all, but that girl lost a lot too. Nat was her best friend, now she’s gone. She was pretty close with Steve too, he’s gone. Tony? God, he was like a father to that girl. Can you maybe knock your attitude down a notch?” Sam requested the moment the sound of y/n’s door slamming rang through the compound.

“We all lost people, Sam,” Bucky shook his head dismissively.

“But y/n’s different. Look, just be nice or I’ll stop buying plums from the farmer’s market,” Sam warned him before walking off.

Meanwhile, the moment she shut the door behind her, the rings of her phone echoed off the walls of her room. She rushed over to her dresser and realized it was a number she didn’t know of.

“You’re an Avenger. You can deal with a prank call,” she urged herself before unlocking the phone and answering the call, pulling the phone up to her ear.

“Y/N L/N?” a woman’s voice questioned.

“Speaking. Are you with the government? I swear, I only fell asleep for 15 minutes during the meeting,” y/n panicked. The woman on the other side of the phone sounded like she could’ve been the secretary to one of the senators she met with the week before that day.

“I’m with the government, but not in the way you’re thinking. Miss L/N. I’m Elise Jones from child protective services. I’m here with your sister’s lawyer, Mike Jonas. We need you to come over to the 87th precinct,” the woman explained. y/n’s brows furrowed; was her sister in trouble? She could’ve sworn Cassy was the goody-two-shoes of the family.

“Did Cassy do anything wrong? Shouldn’t you be contacting her husband? Wait, child protective services? My sister doesn’t hurt her kids, I know that for a damn fact,” y/n spoke, her tone filled with confusion.

“Miss L/N, your sister’s dead,” upon hearing those words, a feeling of dread crept upon her. No, it wasn’t possible, was it?

“No. No, this isn’t possible. If you’re trying to paint me as a suspect to my sister’s murder, it’s not happening,” y/n shook her head in denial. She’d been through that process before the accords and she sure as hell wasn’t going to go through the process anytime soon.

“Miss L/N, I assure you, you’re not a suspect for this case. I didn’t want to tell you this over the phone, but due to unforeseen circumstances, you’re the legal guardian of her children.”


	2. i hate you but i need to talk to sam

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> y/n tells her teammates she needs a break

“I’m on my way,” y/n sighed before dropping the call.

y/n had never rushed out of the compound as quickly as she did that day. Hell, even on missions—much to everyone’s distaste—she took her precious time to make sure she had everything she needed with her. She slipped on a sweatshirt and a pair of sandals before bolting out her bedroom.

The next thing she knew, she was in the elevator, asking FRIDAY to bring her to the basement level of the compound, anxiously gripping her phone on her side.

With a ding, the elevator doors slid open and y/n, once again, ran as fast as her legs could take her, and got into her car (which thankfully, was voice activated) and drove away from the compound and towards the precinct.

y/n, her thoughts spiraling, gripped tightly onto the steering wheel as tears obstructed her vision. She was having difficulty coming to terms with her sister’s death. Yes, she hasn’t seen her sister—or any of her kids for that matter—but it was difficult to deal with. How the hell was she supposed to deal with the fact that her baby sister, the one she didn’t visit for the purpose of keeping her safe, was gone.

Was it all because of HYDRA? Was it because of some illness y/n was never made aware of? Her thoughts were starting to get the better of her until she was snapped out of her trance by FRIDAY’s voice telling her to “turn right.”

The compound was a fifteen-minute ride away from the precinct. She arrived at the slightly run-down police precinct. Parking the car and slamming the door behind her, she speed walked into the precinct only to be stopped by a man sitting at the front desk.

“Name and purpose?” he questioned her, staring up at her expectantly, his dark brown eyes boring into her e/c ones.

“I’m looking for Elise Jones and Mike Jonas? I’m Cassy Langdon’s sister, Y/N L/N” she spoke to the man stationed at the front desk. He looked up, handed her the logbook and a pen, and spoke.

“I’m going to need your I.D, ma’am,” the man questioned, holding his hand out. y/n huffed, with the rush she was in, she forgot to bring along anything other than her phone. “I don’t think I have my I.D on me right now, officer,” y/n shook her head.

“Well, that’s too bad. I’m afraid I can’t let you in without your I.D, ma’am,” the officer shook his head.

“Officer, I just received a phone call telling me that my sister’s dead and I have custody of her children. I don’t think you want to test me,” y/n chuckled, her voice raspy and tired.

“That’s sad and all, but I still need your I.D,” the officer narrowed his eyes at y/n. She took a deep breath before speaking words she’d heard Tony Stark say a handful of times while trying to enter bars.

“You need an I.D? y/n l/n, look me up because this face is my I.D,” y/n smirked, signing her name onto the log book. Once again, the officer narrowed his eyes at her before directing his attention to his computer screen and typing something into it before his eyes widened.

“You’re an Avenger?” the officer’s eyes widened, scrambling up to his feet to salute.

“I wasn’t in the military like the other Avengers,” y/n stuttered, shaking her head repeatedly, “a simple ‘oh hey, you weren’t lying about your identification, you can totally enter the precinct’ would do.”

“Of course, ma’am,” the officer nodded, returning to his seat.

y/n made her way further into the precinct and she saw what she assumed to be the waiting area since there were quite a few people seated in the room.

“Miss L/N, over here,” a familiar voice came from one of the corners of the room. She looked over to the source of the voice and saw a woman, based off how she looked, she must have been in her late forties or early fifties, clad in a blue pantsuit with a matching blazer. y/n made her way to the woman, ignoring all the stares she was getting from everyone, and taking a seat parallel to her.

“I’m going to make this quick, why am I the one taking custody of my sister’s three kids? What happened to their dad? You know, what’s his face?” y/n’s brows furrowed, unable to recall her brother-in-law’s name. After all, she never liked him for her little sister.

“Mr. Langdon is currently in a holding cell,” Elise explained, smoothing out her pants as she readjusted her position on the seat.

“That son of a bitch killed my sister, didn’t he?” y/n chuckled sadly upon hearing Elise’s words.

“Well, your sister died in a drunk driving accident. Mr. Langdon was driving and the investigators are currently taking Ethan and Olivia’s statements on what happened and from the looks of it, Mr. Langdon could be charged with homicide,” a man interrupted her, also making his presence known.

“You’re taking the kid’s statements? Wait, they weren’t in the car when it crashed, were they?” y/n panicked, her eyes widening in concern.

“Ethan and Olivia weren’t included in the half of the population that went out with the blip. I don’t think they’re as young as you remember them,” the man explained before a look of realization found its way to his face, “I almost forgot, I’m Mike Jonas, your sister’s lawyer.”

“y/n l/n, but you already knew that,” y/n shook his hand before continuing, “what about the other one; Jackson, my sister’s youngest?”

“There’s a room in the precinct for the younger kids. Cassy’s kids who were affected by the blip are there. Jackson’s in there with his younger sister, Allie,” Elise smiled reassuringly.

“So, there’s four of them, now? Damn it, I can’t believe my sister had another kid with that prick,” y/n rolled her bloodshot eyes in disappointment. Her mind flashed back to when they were teenagers and would talk about their futures.

“I want a big house, a good husband, and a big family so the house would never feel lonely. I want you there too, y/n. Oh my god, the kids are going to love you!” Cassy smiled up at y/n, her e/c eyes beaming with excitement.

“Cass, don’t you think your husband would hate it if I lived with you guys? Plus, I don’t think I’d be good with children anyways,” y/n chuckled, shaking her head.

“Can you at least promise you’ll visit us often?” Cassy’s e/c eyes pierces into y/n’s e/c ones.

“I promise,” y/n smiled, locking pinkies with Cassy.

Her eyes glossed over with tears as her mind wandered to that memory. She knew damn well broke that promise. There was a point in time when y/n kept that promise and she visited Cassy’s house every week, always bringing along gifts for her niece and nephews.

“You spoil them,” Cassy chuckled as Ethan, Olivia, and Jackson tore off the wrapping paper from the boxes she handed them.

“It’s not my fault I’m the cool aunt,” y/n winked in response, pulling an eyeroll from Cassy.

Those visits only ever stopped when y/n’s position as an Avenger began to pose as a threat to the family’s safety. What if HYDRA caught her during one of her visits to the house? What if she couldn’t protect them when HYDRA decided to use them against her?

She couldn’t have that on her conscience, so she abruptly cut off all communications with her sister and her family. She didn’t want to put their lives in danger.

To her, it’d been two years since her last visit. To Ethan and Olivia? It must’ve been seven years. Damn Thanos and his mission to “help” the universe. y/n began to feel uncomfortable in her seat. Would the kids recognize her? Would they accept the fact that they had to live with her now?

“Your sister, she once discussed you getting custody of her children if she and Mr. Langdon were to pass. She wrote about this in her will,” Mike explained, handing y/n a manila envelope.

She opened the envelope and she pulled out one crisp piece of printed paper—y/n assumed this was the will itself—and six envelopes. She was surprised to find one with her name written in her sister’s handwriting too; even after she’d abandoned her, Cassy still left y/n something.

“What’s this?” y/n questioned, holding up the envelope.

“Cassy wrote you a letter. She made sure to put emphasis on the fact that you don’t have to open it immediately. She said you would’ve taken a while before you decided to open it,” Mike explained, earning a nod from y/n as she tucked the envelope back into the bigger one as she read through the will.

There, in the section concerning the wellbeing of Cassy’s children, y/n saw her name and the conditions of which y/n would take custody of her children.

“If, however, my husband, Eric Langdon, is somehow unfit (an example of it being under the influence of alcohol for 2-4 days a week) or unavailable (an example of this having him jailed or god forbid dead), I entrust the custody of my four children, Ethan Langdon, Olivia Langdon, Jackson Langdon, and Allison Langdon, with my older sister, y/n l/n.”

“Well, when can I meet the kids?” y/n smiled sadly, tucking the piece of paper back in the envelope.

“They should be done questioning Olivia and Ethan in a few minutes. For now, I need to talk to you about how living conditions are going to be with the kids,” Elise requested, earning a nod from y/n.

“I’d like to think I have more than enough to support them without needing to dig into the funds my sister left for them. The only issue I have is that my apartment’s a two-bedroom apartment and I think the kids are going to want more space than that, so I swear I’ll try finding a better place. One with more than enough room for the kids,” y/n explained, earning a nod from Elise. y/n remembered how big Cassy’s dreams were. Sure, she liked being with family, but she also wanted her kids to have space to move around, to play. y/n owed it to Cassy to give the kids the life she wanted for them.

“It sounds like you have the living conditions under control. I like how you didn’t mention letting them move into the Avengers Compound, though I am aware it’s where you’re currently living?” Elise raised a brow expectantly.

“My apartment, it’s for when I need to get away from all the hero stuff. I don’t think it’d be great for the kids to be exposed to everything going on in the tower,” y/n chuckled, the events of earlier flashing through her brain.

“I see. But I want to discuss your involvement in their lives. Their mom just passed and their dad’s getting incarcerated. I know being an Avenger can be demanding, but I’m telling you now that you might need some time off for them to get used to having you as their guardian,” Elise explained, earning another nod from y/n.

“I’ll let my teammates know I’m taking a break now, if you’ll excuse me,” y/n nodded out, getting up from her seat and finding a more secluded area in the precinct to ring up her colleagues.

“Hello?” a gruff voice responded and y/n groaned internally. Of all people who could pick up the phone in the tower, why did Bucky Barnes have to pick up?

“Barnes, I need to talk to Sam,” y/n was quick to cut the chase.

“Why? Did you burn down another kitchen?” Bucky quipped, pulling an eye roll from y/n.

“No, but this is really important so can I please talk to Sam?” y/n strained, her jaw clenching.

“Whatever you’re going to tell Sam, you can tell me. I’ll let him know,” Bucky spoke in a suspiciously innocent tone.

“I don’t trust you with relaying information, so not a chance,” y/n, for the second time in two minutes, rolled her eyes at Bucky’s antics.

“Alright, fine. Sam! y/n burned down another kitchen!” Bucky called out.

“I didn’t burn down ano—” y/n started only to get cut off by Sam’s voice.

“Chill out, I know you didn’t burn down the kitchen, but why are you calling? Can’t you just leave your room and talk to us like a normal person?” Sam chuckled.

“Because I’m not in the tower. I’m at the 87th precinct which is about 15 minutes away from the tower and I might need like 2-4 weeks off,” y/n explained, hearing a gasp from the other side of the line.

“You got arrested?”

“No, but I have this family emergency and it might take a while to deal with. I’ll explain it when I get back, but for now, I’m letting you know I’m taking a break,” y/n explained before ending the call and tucking her phone away in her pocket.


	3. i hate you but i need your van

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> y/n borrows bucky's van

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the one russian phrase in this means "i will take all your knives and shove them up your ass"

“Miss l/n, while Ethan and Olivia are being questioned, do you want to meet Jackson and Allie for now?” Elise questioned as y/n got back to the waiting area. y/n’s eyes grew wide at the question; was she ready to face her sister’s kids in the state she was in? Was she ready to meet the niece she’d never met before?

“There’s no time like the present, I guess,” y/n smiled, earning a nod from Elise as she led the h/c-haired girl through the police precinct and to a green door with a frosted glass window.

“They’re in this room,” Elise smiled before twisting open the doorknob.

“—fly like the superheroes do, Allie!” Jackson’s high-pitched voice was the first thing y/n heard as the door swung open. There, she saw Jackson holding up an Iron Man action figure over the head of a much younger girl. God, she couldn’t have been over 2 years old.

With the creak of the door, the pair turned their head to where y/n and Elise stood and Jackson’s eyes grew wide in excitement.

“Auntie y/n!” Jackson exclaimed, throwing the toy on the ground and running towards y/n as quickly as his short legs could take him and he wrapped his chubby arms around her leg. y/n froze up at the feeling of it all. She couldn’t believe that her 5-year-old nephew—who she hadn’t seen for 2 years, still remembered her.

“Hey, buddy,” y/n smiled as she broke herself out of her trance. She leaned down to return the hug Jackson was trying to give her before pulling away and tousling his hair.

Allie, at the lack of having her big brother near her, began to wail loudly, her cries echoing off the walls of the colorful room.

“No, no, Allie, don’t cry,” Jackson cooed, rushing to his little sister’s side and instinctively wrapping his arms around her tiny frame. The toddler wrapped her arms around her older brother as her sobbing began to cease slowly. y/n smiled; she saw so much of Cassy in the kids.

“What are you waiting for? Talk to them,” Elise smiled at y/n, motioning towards the kids.

“Allie, this is auntie y/n. She’s mommy’s sister,” the young blue-eyed boy smiled down at his sister as the toddler, out of curiosity, crawled towards y/n. It was the first time she got a glimpse of Allie’s e/c eyes up close. Damn, Allie was a mini Cassy and that thought itself scared her.

“Auntie!” the toddler babbled, reaching up as if to ask y/n to carry her. Of course, to y/n, it sounded more like “OTIE!”

She hesitantly pulled the toddler up, one arm supporting Allie’s weight and the other resting on her back. Allie, with her big e/c eyes, looked up at y/n and giggled, pulling a smile from y/n.

“Auntie y/n, mommy know you visiting?” Jackson questioned, ditching the toys altogether and standing beside y/n. y/n’s heart clenched; of course, Jackson didn’t know about his mother’s passing. Elise sent y/n a look of sympathy before mouthing ‘we told him she’s on a trip’ to her.

“Yeah, she does. Your mommy told me to take care of you while she was on her trip,” y/n smiled warmly at the young boy, holding in her tears as she noticed his face fall.

“Why mommy not bring us on her trip? Does mommy no love us?” Jackson frowned. y/n, Allie still in her arms, got on her knees so she stood at the same level Jackson did and shook her head.

“Your mommy loves you very very very much, Jackson. She didn’t take you with her because she knows Auntie y/n misses you,” y/n smiled as Jackson wrapped his arms around her.

“I hate to break up this moment, but they’re done questioning Ethan and Olivia,” Mike interrupted them as he entered the room. y/n nodded, heading out the door with Jackson and Allie before getting interrupted by Elise.

“Miss l/n, take them away as quickly as you can. I don’t think it would be good for Ethan or Olivia if they stayed here any longer than they should,” Elise requested, earning a nod from y/n. They followed Mike back out to the waiting room and there sat two familiar faces.

When it came to seeing Jackson for the first time, y/n could instantly recognize him. After all, he’d only aged two years since she’d last seen him. Olivia and Ethan however, those two were a different story. Since they were part of the population that didn’t turn to dust after the effects of Thanos’ snap; the two were unrecognizable.

To them, it had been seven years since they’d seen y/n. Ethan, who was a shaggy-haired ten-year-old the last time y/n had seen him, was now a tired-looking seventeen-year-old. Olivia, who was a starry-eyed eight-year-old when y/n had last seen him, was now fifteen; a young woman with a sad smile as she reassuringly held her older brother’s hand.

“Ethan, Olivia, this is—,” Elise began only to be harshly cut off by Ethan.

“Agent y/n l/n. The same one who hasn’t visited us for seven years. Why is she here?” Ethan scowled, crossing his arms over his chest. y/n sighed sadly. What was she expecting? Did she really think all of Cassy’s kids would welcome her with open arms after she stopped visiting?

“From now on, she’s your legal guardian. You’re going to be staying over at her place for a while,” Elise explained carefully.

“Of all the people mom could leave us with, she left us with her? Why?” Ethan scoffed, shooting up from his seat. Olivia rolled her eyes before speaking.

“I trust mom and if she decided leaving us with Aunt y/n’s what she wanted for us, I respect that decision,” Olivia flashed y/n a tired smile as she got up from her seat and wrapped her arms around y/n. y/n, shocked from the action, just stood there, frozen in place.

“Yeah, Ethan. Auntie y/n’s nice,” Jackson smiled, holding y/n’s hand.

“Ethan, I know you’re probably pissed off at me, but I also know you don’t want to stay here, so can we just go?” y/n huffed, already feeling exhausted from the hell of a day she had.

“Fine,” he huffed, motioning for y/n to lead the way to her car.

“Miss l/n, we’ll take care of the documents for now. We’ll contact you if we need anything else,” Elise smiled before letting y/n leave the precinct. y/n, using her handprint, unlocked the doors to her modified Aston Martin coupe (one of the benefits of being an Avenger) as she motioned for everyone to get in the car.

She handed Allie over to Olivia before getting into the driver’s seat and driving to the Avengers compound.

“Auntie y/n, where we going?” Jackson questioned, peeking over to the front seat.

“I’m going to the Avengers Compound. I need to go get my bag, and then we’ll go to your house too,” y/n responded as she took a turn.

“Am I gonna meet the Avengers?” Jackson’s eyes lit up with excitement.

“Sorry, buddy, my teammates are on a mission, they aren’t in the compound. Maybe after a week or two, we can visit them, okay?” y/n lied, not really wanting to explain to her teammates how she became the legal guardian of two kids and two teenagers.

“Promise?” Jackson questioned.

“I promise,” y/n chuckled.

A few minutes later, they stopped at the gate to the compound. y/n rolled down a window and pressed the button on the intercom system.

“FRIDAY, unlock the gates,” y/n requested, only to get a loud beep in response.

“Name?”

“Agent y/n l/n,” y/n spoke into the intercom, only to get yet another beep in response to her words.

“My apologies Agent l/n, but Sergeant Barnes is restricting your access to the compound,” FRIDAY responded as y/n’s nails began to dig into the leather of the steering wheel.

“Redirect this channel to wherever Barnes is,” y/n commanded, rolling her eyes in frustration.

“Oh, hey, y/n,” Bucky spoke nonchalantly from the other side of the intercom. y/n swore she could hear his smirk from the intercom. 

“Hey, prick, maybe you want to remove the restrictions you put on my access,” y/n huffed.

“Yeah, no,” Bucky sassed.

“Я возьму все твои ножи и засуну их тебе в задницу, если ты этого не сделаешь,” y/n threatened him in Russian since, well, she had kids in her car and she wasn’t supposed to be threatening people or swearing around them.

“Well, you could try,” Bucky chuckled.

“Barnes, I don’t have time for this!” y/n exclaimed as she now held the steering wheel in a white-knuckled grip.

“Jeez, no need to get so riled up. FRIDAY, remove all restrictions on Agent l/n’s access to the compound. She’s not secretly a HYDRA agent,” Bucky huffed as the gates to the compound swung open and y/n drove into the parking area of the compound.

“I’m going to leave the AC on, but stay in the car. I’ll just grab my bag from upstairs and we’ll be good to go,” y/n explained before walking back into the compound and heading straight to her bedroom.

There, she pulled away a compartment from her closet to reveal a black suitcase filled with enough of her clothes to last her two weeks. Ever since that surprise vacation Tony took the team on—where y/n did not have any of her belongings packed on time—she hid the suitcase away just in case.

“FRIDAY, lock my door,” y/n requested. The light outside y/n’s door flashed from green to red, meaning the door was locked and nobody other than y/n could bypass FRIDAY’s systems or command FRIDAY to unlock her door.

y/n, with the heavy suitcase rolling behind her, came to a realization. A realization that there was no way in hell she could manage to fit her suitcase, the kids, and the kids’ suitcases in her car without leaving it cramped or making two trips between her apartment and their house.

y/n sighed knowing damn well what she had to do.

“FRIDAY, can I have a location on Barnes?” y/n requested, stopping in her tracks and awaiting a response.

“Sergeant Barnes is in the kitchen. Shall I let him know you require his presence?” FRIDAY questioned.

“No, thanks,” y/n responded as she made her way to the partially burned down kitchen area where she found Bucky fixing himself a sandwich on one of the ash-covered countertops.

“You here to burn down the kitchen again?” Bucky raised a brow at y/n, his eyes fixated on the suitcase she trailed behind her.

“Sam already told you he was the one who burned the fucking kitchen down, bitch. I need something,” y/n paused, tapping her fingers against the countertop.

“If you’re going to ask for tips on how to go on the run, you’re going to need a less obvious way to carry everything you own because that suitcase is only going to raise suspicion,” Bucky chuckled, motioning to the suitcase.

“That wasn’t it, bitch. I need your van,” y/n crossed her arms impatiently.

“My van? Don’t you have that car Stark gave you? You know, that fancy sports car you drive around on undercover missions?” Bucky raised a brow at y/n.

“You don’t even use the damn thing! It’s literally rotting away in the fucking car basement. Plus, you prefer using your motorcycle! I’ll give it back, I swear,” y/n begged, facing Bucky with her best e/c puppy dog eyes.

“No,” Bucky smirked.

“Barnes, I swear, I’ll fucking give it back!” y/n exclaimed, letting go of the handle of the suitcase and shaking Bucky’s shoulders dramatically which pulled an eye roll from him.

“Damn it, I don’t know why I’m actually agreeing to this, but fine,” Bucky huffed, walking away from the kitchen and disappearing into his bedroom for a quick moment.

When he reemerged, he set his van keys on to the counter and returned to making his sandwich, acting as though y/n wasn’t in the room—y/n was used to it, though.

She snatched the keys from the counter and headed off to the parking basement where she swung the door of her car.

“I just realized we aren’t going to fit in this car when we go fetch your things so we are going to be using a different car,” y/n explained, earning a nod from Olivia.

“Irresponsible,” Ethan coughed out as y/n pretended not to hear him. Instead, she just promised herself to be more prepared next time she had to deal with these kids—which she knew would be all the damn time now that she had custody of them.


	4. i hate you but i'm too tired for this shit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> bucky finds out about y/n's family emergency

“Do you know where y/n is?” Bucky raised a brow at Sam as he pulled a carton of milk from the now-replaced fridge.

“Why? Are you gonna accuse her of burning the kitchen down again this time? I don’t think she burned down any kitchens today,” Sam chuckled, his gaze wandering around the newly repaired kitchen.

“No, it’s not tha—” Bucky tried to explain, only to get interrupted by Sam breaking out in a fit of laughter.

“Man, you’re in love with y/n! That’s why you’re always pissing her off!” Sam exclaimed excitedly, earning a smack across the shoulder from Bucky.

“Why do you always assume people are in love with other people? Last week, you said the guy in front of us in the café was in love with the barista just because he took ten seconds longer than he was supposed to for ordering a drink,” Bucky rolled his eyes at Sam’s childish remarks.

“You should’ve seen him! He was making heart eyes at her!” Sam exclaimed, holding his arms up in defense.

“He was on the phone with his girlfriend, Sam!” Bucky pointed out.

“Okay, that was a mistake on my part, but why are you looking for y/n?” Sam raised a brow at Bucky as he crossed his arms.

“She borrowed my van four days ago and she never came back,” Bucky shrugged.

“That’s because she went on an indefinite break from staying at the tower and all her Avengers duties. She even sent Fury an email about it,” Sam chuckled before pausing as his eyes widened, “wait, you let y/n borrow something you own?”

“She was doing that weird thing with her eyes; you know the one she uses to get information when we’re undercover?” Bucky scratched the back of his neck, struggling to describe what exactly it was y/n did to get him to hand over his van keys.

“You fell victim to her puppy eyes? Damn man, I thought it would take more than to get you to crack,” Sam broke out in a fit of laughter as Bucky scowled.

“Yeah, well, she did this thing where she held onto my shoulders and started shaking me!” Bucky exclaimed defensively. Sam shook his head as his laughter slowly began dying down.

“Man, so if HYDRA decided to capture you and gave you the puppy dog eyes, you would give up all the information they want you to give up?” Sam raised a brow at Bucky. Bucky, as though in deep thought, averted his gaze as he swiped his lip with his tongue.

“Well, no but—”

“Man, I should tell Fury to start looking for a replacement now,” Sam quipped.

“All I’m asking is you know where she’s staying? I wanted to pick up a few things from the hardware store, but since y/n has my van, I can’t really do that,” Bucky questioned, pouring milk in his cereal bowl.

“Can’t you have FRIDAY call her? Wait, she’s your teammate, you should have her number!” Sam pointed out as Bucky attempted to argue with a mouthful of cereal.

“She banned,” Bucky paused to swallow his food before continuing, “from contacting her through FRIDAY or via her phone number.”

“That’s all on you, Barnes,” Sam chuckled before grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge and walking away.

“FRIDAY, can I have a location on y/n?” Bucky requested as soon as Sam was out of earshot. To Bucky, talking to someone he couldn’t see was a little weird at first. Sure, when he was in Wakanda, he’d seen Shuri do it plenty of times, but he just assumed she had someone on comms. That was why the first time FRIDAY greeted him, he was startled—and whether or not he’d admit it, he pissed his pants a little too.

“Unfortunately, Agent l/n blocked any requests for her information,” FRIDAY explained. Bucky groaned in frustration; he just wanted his van back. Was that too much to ask for? That was when he was struck by an idea.

“FRIDAY, can I please have a location on my van?” Bucky requested, silently praying that his van did not somehow end up in another state.

“Your van is parked outside an apartment complex in downtown New York. Shall I send the coordinated to your mobile device?” FRIDAY questioned.

“Yes, please,” Bucky responded as he downed down the leftover cereal milk in his bowl.

Bucky checked his phones from any notifications from FRIDAY and there it was on his lock screen: y/n’s home address.

“FRIDAY, set my GPS on my motorcycle to the location of my van,” Bucky requested.

“The GPS on your motorcycle has been set,” FRIDAY responded.

Bucky left his bowl on the counter and headed into his bedroom to grab a pair of sneakers and a pale green jacket. He stared at the dark glove on his nightstand in consideration for a moment.

Even after he’d been pardoned for his crimes under HYDRA, people always had that underlying fear that Bucky would revert to his ways with HYDRA, and the Avengers would be unable to do anything about it. Luckily for him, the people of New York only ever recognized him when his vibranium arm was on full display. After all, not that many people in New York sported a vibranium arm and a perfected scowl.

After careful consideration, he decided to ditch the glove for the day and hope the jacket would cover up the arm the way he wanted it to. After all, he was just heading to y/n’s apartment and he would head back to the compound.

He pulled his—well, it used to be Steve’s before the old man gifted it to him—motorcycle keys off the hooks on the wall and headed to the parking basement where he kept his beloved Harley Davidson. He mounted the bike and sped off, following the directions in which the GPS directed him through.

A grin found its way to the super soldier’s face. He was brought back to his younger days as he and Steve rode through the busy streets of Brooklyn whenever the Howling Commandoes didn’t have any missions to partake in—which was pretty rare. He felt young and carefree as his wind blew through his dark locks.

He remained like that for a while; in a state of nostalgia and an uncharacteristically happy grin on his face as he dashed through the busy streets. He only broke out of it upon hearing FRIDAY’s voice announcing that he was at his location; a shockingly large apartment complex.

“Shit,” he swore upon realizing y/n would be a bit tougher to locate than he thought. He didn’t think y/n’s life outside the tower would be as glamorous or at least not boring as it was. He was, of course, proved wrong at the sight of the massive building. Did y/n live in an apartment or a condominium?

Luckily, as Bucky entered the buildings (after having some complications with the metal detector, of course) he noticed there was a concierge stationed at the front desk. He silently prayed to whoever was listening that the lady stationed there would tell him which floor and which apartment number he could find y/n in.

“Good morning, sir, what can I help you with?” the lady—she couldn’t have been a day over thirty—greeted Bucky, a soft smile on her face.

“Hi, uh, I’m here for y/n l/n. Do you know what unit she’s in?” Bucky questioned, leaning closer to the desk. He didn’t want to raise his voice; the whole lobby of the complex just seemed like such a peaceful place he didn’t want to disrupt.

“Just a moment sir,” the woman smiled before dialing a number on the telephone and speaking to who he just assumed was y/n, “She’s in unit 8E on the eight floor, sir.”

“Thank you,” Bucky smiled as he headed into one of the thankfully empty elevators. He didn’t know why, but since his first elevator ride, he always found riding an elevator—an enclosed metal box—with a stranger filled him with unease.

Bucky arrived at the beige-carpeted hallway of the building as he passed by the abstract paintings hung on the wall and the doors with the unit number engraved in them. A, B, C, D; he passed by them all until he reached y/n’s door. He brought his fist up to the door before realizing there was a slight racket going on from within the door.

That was when he panicked; was his teammate in trouble? No, there would’ve been more noise if y/n really was in trouble. Of all the times he’d worked with her, y/n was known to let out a battle cry here and there whenever she got into a physical confrontation.

He relaxed, flicking his wrist against the smooth wooden door and waiting a moment for it to swing open and reveal a very tired-looking y/n who carried a wailing toddler in her arms.

“You’re not the gelato guy,” y/n frowned, pulling a chuckle from Bucky.

“And there’s no way in hell you’re y/n. You didn’t tell me you had a kid!” Bucky exclaimed, shocked at what he was seeing.

“First of all, we aren’t close enough for me to disclose that kind of information with you. Second, she’s not mine. Well, she kind of is but not really,” y/n shrugged, “wait, why are you here?”

“You borrowed my van,” Bucky raised a brow as he crossed his arms.

“Oh yeah, you might want to take a seat, though. I know it’s somewhere here, but the past days have been pretty hectic,” y/n chuckled dryly, stepping aside and letting Bucky into her apartment. The action itself shocked him a little. In all his days living with y/n, she’d never once invited him into her room or any room she was in whenever he needed something. On a normal day, she would’ve shut her door for a while and opened it as she chucked the item right at him before slamming the door shut again.

Bucky took in his surroundings; y/n’s apartment looked as though it was supposed to be a peaceful place. The spacious apartment’s furnishings matched those of the compound’s, yet it all felt more like an actual home compared to the compound. However, it didn’t take him long to realize some things were placed where they weren’t supposed to.

There were articles of clothing on the floorboards, a toy or two there, a pack of diapers in the corner of the room, and a child wrapping his arms around a sobbing teenage girl on the couch. Wait, a child and a teenage girl? How many people did y/n live with?

He awkwardly took a seat on one of the seats by the plush velvet sofa, trying to avert his gaze from the two on the couch near his seat. His super soldier hearing, however, betrayed him as he heard every sob and every word that fell from the teenager’s lips.

“I just can’t believe it!” the girl sobbed, her eyes red and puffy.

“It’s gon be okay, Livvy. Mommy’s gonna go back,” a smaller voice came to comfort her. A smile found its way to Bucky’s face as he heard the child’s attempt to comfort ‘Livvy’. God, it had been so long since he’d seen that kind of innocence in his life.

“I found your keys,” came y/n’s voice from behind him as she pressed the cold metal against his flesh hand.

“Did you kidnap these kids with my van?” Bucky quipped, his brows furrowing as he watched the interaction happening on the couch.

“Look, I’ll explain everything later if you end up sticking around. I’m too tired to even banter with you at this point,” y/n shook her head. As if on cue, a knock came at the door and she swung it open to reveal the gelato guy!

“So, you’re fine with me just, staying here?” Bucky raised a brow in suspicion.

“Join us for breakfast if you want to. Just, try not to be such a pain in the butt, Barnes,” y/n sighed. Bucky noticed how uncharacteristically tired she sounded. With a small nod, he took a seat at the dining table in her kitchen area. It wasn’t like he had much for breakfast, what harm could a little more food do?


	5. i hate you but allie doesn't

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> with an issue during breakfast, bucky has to learn to handle a baby

“I can help you with that,” Bucky insisted as y/n pulled several plates from the cabinets under the counter. y/n gave him a questioning look, as though asking him why she was helping him, and he continued, “if you explain to me why you have a teenager and two kids in your apartment.”

“Touché, but it’s actually two teenagers, so ha! You were wrong about another thing,” y/n chuckled before her features softened as her gaze wandered to the closed acacia door down her hallway, “My nephew, Ethan is sulking in his room. Honestly, I can’t blame the kid,” y/n explained. With every word that spilled from her lips, Bucky found himself growing more and more curious over y/n’s current situation.

“How’d you end up with them all in your apartment?” Bucky questioned before adding a quick, “I’m not going to say no offense because that would be a lie, but you look really tired.”

“Gee, thanks. You sure know how to charm a lady,” y/n rolled her eyes, shoving the plates in Bucky’s hands.

“I was quite the ladies’ man back in my time,” Bucky winked, placing the plates on top of the placemats y/n had already set on the glass table.

“I almost forgot you were an old man,” y/n snickered, setting the silverware on the table with one hand and placing Allie in her highchair with the other arm.

“Didn’t your parents teach you to respect elders and learn to answer questions?” Bucky raised a brow, referencing his previous question.

“What question?” y/n spoke in confusion as she buckled Allie into the seat. The toddler giggled whilst slamming her palms against the plastic table. y/n made a note not to leave the bowl of baby food there.

“The one where I asked how you ended up having to take care of two kids and two teenagers,” Bucky chuckled awkwardly, watching y/n struggle to open a jar of baby food. Who knew it would take one jar of baby food to defeat one of SHIELD’s greatest agents?

Before y/n could reply, Bucky didn’t notice the kid from earlier, Jackson as he would soon learn, was seated at the table and responded for her, “Mommy’s on a trip with daddy and Livvy and Ethan are sad about it,” came his petite voice.

Bucky, knowing damn well “on a trip” was most likely a code for something he’d encountered quite a lot, gave y/n a look. She only responded with a sad smile as she poured the contents of the jar into a bowl.

“Jackson, tell Olivia and Ethan breakfast’s ready, please,” y/n requested, earning an eager nod from the boy before he jumped out his seat and rushed to his sister’s side.

Bucky approached y/n, looking for more answers regarding the kids. He knew this might have been the only opportunity he had to ask y/n without the kids—with the exception of Allie who could barely understand a thing—about what happened to the kids’ parents and what role she played in the kids’ lives.

“Please don’t tell me you killed their parents and took them in as your own. I think I saw a movie like that once. It was pretty fucked up,” Bucky chuckled but immediately stopped when he saw the way her face dropped at the mention of the kids’ parents.

“Their mom, she was my sister. I found out a few days ago she died in a car crash and the next thing I knew, the kids were being dumped on me,” y/n spoke, eager to finally explain her situation to somebody even if that somebody was Bucky, someone she clashed with more often than not.

“What about their dad? Surely, he should’ve been the one to deal with the kids,” Bucky questioned, his brows furrowing.

“I don’t know where that ass is right now or what he’s doing. That deadbeat killed my sister,” y/n growled, gripping tightly onto the marble counters. Bucky had no idea what to tell her. He’d never been in a situation where he had to comfort his teammate who not only lost their sister, but had to take custody of the kids too!

Due to Bucky’s inability to speak, and y/n having nothing else to say, they stood there in awkward silence as y/n stacked pancakes onto the plates one-by-one and topping them with a big scoop of gelato.

Their mother used to make the best pancakes and top them off with gelato. She and Cassy got the exact recipe which really came in handy when Jackson asked for “Pancakes, please? The way mommy makes them” when y/n asked him what he wanted for breakfast.

After a few moments of silence, Ethan, Olivia, and Jackson joined them at the table, all silently pulling themselves a seat. Jackson didn’t know why, but whenever his big brother was in the room with his Auntie y/n, there was a somber mood cast upon the room as though there was a rule telling them not to utter a word.

Ethan sat at the farthest end of the table, Olivia took the seat parallel to y/n’s, while her little brother took the seat next to her. Bucky, not really knowing what to do, stood there awkwardly by the countertop before y/n motioned for him to take the seat next to him where she’d also set a plate of pancakes.

He took the seat next to her as the table fell into a state of silence while he ate away at his pancakes as y/n turned to Allie and fed her. He would never admit it to y/n, but her pancakes were beyond amazing. Never in a million years did he think to top ice cream with gelato or ice cream until that day.

“Auntie y/n, is he your husband?” Jackson was the first to break the silence as he stared curiously at Bucky.

“What makes you think that, buddy?” y/n chuckled awkwardly as Bucky kept his gaze to the plate of pancakes in front of him.

“Well, daddy always sits at the table beside mommy and he’s her—” Jackson tried to explain only to get cut off by his sister sobbing, “Livvy, you okay?”

“These pancakes taste just like mom’s! It’s the same fluffiness, same taste, and same brand of gelato for god’s sake!” she sobbed, shooting up from the table and staring down bitterly at the plate of pancakes in front of her.

“Damn it, Liv, she’s trying to replace mom, can’t you see?” Ethan snarled before turning to face y/n, “You will never be as good as mom ever was. Yes, these pancakes taste like hers, but you won’t replace her just because she’s dead and dad’s in prison!” he cried out before bolting down the hall and back to the room he was previously shutting herself in. Olivia’s features softened a little as she saw the look of hurt on y/n’s face,

“It’s okay, aunt y/n. I know you’re not trying to replace mom. He’ll come around,” Olivia tried to reassure y/n that through the sobs as she wrapped her arms around her. y/n just nodded slowly in response to the hug.

“God, I wish grandma and grandpa got custody of us instead!” Ethan’s voice boomed from the room as both Allie and Jackson began crying.

“Mommy’s dead and daddy’s going to jail?” Jackson cried, a broken expression on his face. y/n rushed to his side, wanting to lie to him and tell him Cassy was coming back, but she couldn’t. She was going to have to explain it all to Jackson sometime; she just didn’t expect that time to be at 9:49 in the morning.

“I’m sorry, buddy,” y/n’s voice broke as she wrapped her arms around the crying boy. Bucky knew he couldn’t just sit there and watch the scene unfold. He knew he had to do something; anything! He hesitantly got up from his seat and moved to the highchair where the baby—Allie—was seated as he unbuckled the seatbelt keeping her on the chair as he hesitantly lifted her up with his flesh arm.

“Shh, it’s going to be okay. Your auntie y/n’s going to be here and your older siblings are going to be okay,” he whispered as he began cradling Allie against his chest. He didn’t know whether or not he was holding the baby right or if he should’ve been rocking her, but it worked. She calmed down as her cries turned to quiet babbles.

Bucky nearly panicked at how quickly she became quiet in fear that he’d knocked the toddler out. He held her out again to see if she was—well, alive. She smiled up at him, her big doe e/c eyes piercing into his baby blues. Bucky Barnes was never one to care for kids—not since he became the Winter Soldier—but this was different. A baby, who he was holding in his arm, smiled up at him as she reached for his metal arm? His heart melted at the sight.

“Otie?” she questioned him, her brows furrowing. He took a seat on the chair, not sure if he could trust himself with a baby while he stood up, before chuckling.

“I’m not your otie y/n, kid. She’s a little busy at the moment, but I’m her much better teammate, Bucky,” he smiled down at her.

“CKY!” she exclaimed excitedly, trying to jump up. He readjusted the way he carried her, seating her onto his lap while his hands—both metal and flesh—supported her weight to keep her from tipping over.

“Close enough, kid,” Bucky chuckled, “So, what’s your name?” Bucky didn’t think his morning would lead to this; witnessing y/n trying to console a kid while he talked to a one-year-old.

“Ayee!” she exclaimed, a wide smile on her face.

“Ayee?” Bucky questioned, raising a brow at her, making Allie laugh.

“A-yee,” Allie repeated slowly.

“Al-lie?” Bucky questioned, his brow still raised as Allie reached for his face, smacking her hands against his eyebrows.

“AYEE!” Allie exclaimed happily, clapping her hands to celebrate getting Bucky to correctly say her name.

“Allie, huh? Is that your name, kid?” Bucky questioned as Allie slammed her hands against his face excitedly.

“CKY!” she giggled as he continued making faces for the girl. Never in a million years did he think a baby would feel at ease with his present. He was learning new things that day, he shrugged.

“You can’t be Bucky, I’m Bucky” he chuckled as Allie found herself pulling against his beard.

“Cky!” Allie insisted.

“No, you’re Allie. I’m Bucky,” Bucky chuckled, poking at her squishy cheek.

“I Ayee, you Cky?” she repeated, a smile on her face.

“Exactly,” Bucky smiled.

“So, you’re Cky now, huh?” he turned to see y/n standing there, her nephew—whose sobbing was coming to an end—in her arms as she grinned at the sight of Bucky with her niece in his lap.

“Only because you stink at your job here too,” Bucky scoffed.

“Rude,” y/n mumbled to herself as she set Jackson down on his seat with a ‘you’re going to be okay, buddy’ as she picked Allie up from Bucky’s lap and set her back onto the high chair so she could continue feeding the toddler. As a matter of fact, Olivia’s sobbing even calmed down a bit as she downed the stack of pancakes her aunt prepared for her.


	6. i hate you but tell the team

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> bucky tells the team about y/n's situation

“Aren’t you going to go after the other one?” Bucky questioned, staring at the door of the room where Ethan rushed into. y/n gave him a look, as though she too were contemplating if she should talk to Ethan or not, before shaking her head hesitantly and returning to her task at hand; getting Allie to keep her food in her mouth and off her hands.

“With all due respect, Mister—wait, what’s your name again?” Olivia raised a brow as she tried to recall the same words her baby sister was yelling out again, “Mister Bucky, Ethan’s taking the news pretty hard and he’s stubborn. I don’t think he’d talk to Aunt y/n if she tried to,” Olivia exclaimed, eating a forkful of pancakes.

“Well, maybe I can talk to him. Man-to-man, you know?” Bucky suggested jokingly. y/n gave him a stern look before shaking her head.

“I’m not letting you talk to my nephew. Knowing you, you’d eradicate any chances I have of getting him to warm up to me so there is no way in hell you’re talking to him before I get to,” y/n chuckled.

“You’re my teammate, how could you not trust me?” Bucky crossed his arms over his chest and pouted.

“Aren’t you the teammate who cracked an egg on my shoe right when I was about to leave for a mission?” y/n questioned, easily recalling the events of last month’s mission.

That day, Bucky was I charge of making breakfast and when y/n tried moving past Bucky to grab a protein bar from a cabinet, but he wouldn’t let her pass through. Annoyed, she stomped on his toe so she could reach the cabinet. Bucky didn’t really appreciate having his toe stomped on so in retaliation, he tossed an egg onto y/n’s combat boots.

“It was hilarious!” Bucky exclaimed in his defense.

“The rookies were laughing at me!” y/n rolled her eyes before tossing a spoonful of Allie’s baby food at his hair.

“You were their S.O! If they laughed at you, you probably didn’t lecture them well enough on the consequences of laughing at a superior officer,” Bucky pointed out, recalling the times when he had to train a few SHIELD agents who ended up laughing at his manbun. Can you believe the audacity of those rookies?

“Oh, and you know how to handle a situation any better?” y/n scoffed.

“As a matter of fact, yes. I made them run twenty laps around the compound,” Bucky smirked proudly.

“Oh? What were they laughing at you for? Being older than the exhibits at the Smithsonian?” y/n giggled.

“No. They made fun of my hair,” Bucky frowned, running a hand through his dark brown locks. It was then, y/n broke out it a fit of heavy laughter.

“God, I forgot you were worse than Thor when it comes to your hair obsession!” she exclaimed, recalling that time he got mad at her for borrowing his conditioner without his permission.

“At least my hair doesn’t eat the hands of HYDRA agents,” Bucky shook his head. On a mission, one of the HYDRA agents y/n fought made an attempt to drag her by her hair. It did not end well when he realized his gloved hand was stuck in the endless jungle of knots known as y/n’s hair. Not once has Bucky even seen her run a brush through her hair in the compound!

“Man, that glove was worse than bubble gum,” y/ frowned. The agent’s hand was stuck in her hair so she had to sit next to him on the ride back long enough for Doctor Cho to come up with the best way to remove his hand from her hair. Even after then, y/n still didn’t brush her hair before or after missions.

“I’ve got to get going. I’ll see you around,” Bucky waved off, grabbing his keys from the countertop before walking out the door.

“I don’t think you will!” y/n joked out half-heartedly. God, taking care of four kids was more exhausting than taking down a whole HYDRA base. At least villains didn’t make a mess at her apartment like Allie and Jackson did.

“Oh, so you’re a house aunt now?” Bucky stopped in his steps, leaning against the doorway.

“I guess. Tell Sam not to call me onto missions if it’s not an emergency, please? Also, if you could explain this clusterf—” y/n stopped herself before she could swear in front of the kids, “—mess to the rest of the team, that would be great,” y/n smiled before feeding Allie her last spoon of baby food.

“I can’t promise I won’t tell him you kidnapped the kids, though,” Bucky grinned before shutting the door and running down the hall, probably disrupting the residents. Everybody working and living on the compound knew y/n and Bucky would chase each other around the compound when one said something the other didn’t exactly appreciate.

Which is why it shocked him when she never chased after him that day. Well, she was a busy woman, he shrugged it off and headed down the elevator.

He drove his motorcycle to where the van was, adjusted the van seats, and slowly lifted his motorcycle in the van. It probably would have been more convenient for him if he’d just asked y/n to drive the van back to the compound rather than him having to haul his motorcycle into the van.

When he was sure his motorcycle was safely placed in the van, Bucky got in the driver’s seat and drove to the compound; ready to tell Sam about his discovery.

He parked the van, pulled his motorcycle out, parked that too, and headed into the main lounging area of the compound where he found Sam, Wanda, Clint, Rhodey, and Peter gathered around the TV. The moment the elevator dinged, letting his presence be known, all heads turned to him as though to ask where he’d been…or why he had baby food in his hair.

“y/n has kids,” Bucky explained quickly, plopping down on the couch between Peter and Sam.

“y/n? Kids? That’s funny, tell another one,” Wanda chuckled, popping a piece of popcorn in her mouth as her gaze was still fixated on the screen. At this point, she was used to having Bucky and y/n make up rumors about each other and she could not trust a word one would say about the other.

“Wait, let me rephrase that. Sam, y/n told you she was taking a break because of a family emergency, right?” Bucky questioned, looking expectantly at Sam.

“Well, yes, but I don’t see how that means y/n has ki—” Sam shook his head only to get interrupted by Bucky shushing him.

“That family emergency was her sister died a few days ago and y/n got custody of four kids! Look, I know this isn’t easy to believe and shit, but y/n’s the legal guardian of two teenagers and two kids!” Bucky exclaimed, as if he himself could not believe what he’d just witnessed half an hour prior to that.

“I’m pretty sure y/n didn’t take a break just so you could make up a rumor about her,” Wanda chuckled, shaking her head.

“That’s the thing! They had a fight over breakfast and y/n was trying to make the little boy stop crying and then the baby started crying so I went over there to pick her up and god, I thought I killed the kid, but I didn’t. Then, she looked up at me with those big e/c eyes while screaming my name. God, that kid was adorable,” Bucky rambled on as though falling into a trance as he remembered the feeling of having someone so innocent look up at him with an emotion that wasn’t fear for once.

“Assuming this actually happened, how the fuck did you find y/n? Didn’t she block any location tracking on her when we found her at that cooking class?” Clint questioned, raising a brow in disbelief.

“I made FRIDAY look for my van and it was at y/n’s apartment place. She only let me in because she thought I was the gelato guy,” Bucky chuckled, shaking his head, “God, she looked so tired.”

“Is there anything else y/n wanted to let us know? She promised we were going to watch all the Star Wars movies next week,” Peter frowned, hitching his feet up onto the table.

“I’m pretty sure y/n has better things to worry about than a Star Wars marathon,” Sam shook his head in dismissal.

“She did mention the fact that she’s still willing to go on missions as long as they’re important ones. Like some really ‘life-threatening where a lot of people could die’ type of shit,” Bucky explained with a shrug.

“I still had no idea y/n had an apartment. I thought she lived on-base when I first met her,” Clint chuckled, shaking his head.

“Am I the only other one here who’s been to her place?” Wanda’s brows furrowed in confusion.

“Wait, you’ve been to her place? She told me she had some underground bunker she lives in because she was preparing for the zombie apocalypse and I kind of assumed that was a joke and she just lived here,” Peter shot up from his seat, staring at Wanda in disbelief.

“Oh yeah, that too. I’ve been to both places. I even have a room in the bunker,” Wanda winked as Peter’s jaw dropped. He thought y/n was joking when she mentioned the underground bunker. I mean seriously, would you take someone seriously if they told you they had an underground bunker beneath central park?

“Well, I guess if the compound gets compromised during an apocalypse, we know who to follow,” Clint broke out in a fit of laughter. After that, Bucky kind of just blanked out, not really knowing what else to say. It wasn’t as if he knew much about y/n besides the basics and what he’d discovered earlier.

He leaned back into his chair before stealing Peter’s bucket of popcorn and watching whatever the Avengers decided they wanted to watch that afternoon, ignoring all the teenager’s complaints.


	7. i hate you but i need some help

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> y/n needs help moving into their new place

It had been a week since Bucky—or any of the other Avengers—last heard from y/n. The compound, without the e/c-eyed girl and Bucky’s never-ending arguments and shenanigans, the compound was quiet. Peter was in school, Wanda was working on her hand-on-hand combat with Rhodey, Sam was busy taking on the responsibilities that came with taking Steve’s place as the captain of the Avengers, and Clint was spending time with his wife.

Bucky didn’t realize how lonely the compound felt without y/n constantly telling him off. Perhaps that was why his features lit up when FRIDAY told him there was an incoming call from y/n.

“Pick up!” Bucky exclaimed a little too excitedly the moment FRIDAY made the announcement.

“Hiya, Barnes,” came y/n’s voice. Bucky was easily able to notice she sounded much less tired than she did the last time he’d seen her. He assumed it had something to do with the fact that the kids were most likely at school.

“Sounds like someone’s happy. Did you succeed at not burning down another kitchen this time?” Bucky quipped.

“I’ve never burned a kitchen down in my life, but I also need your van, again,” y/n requested with a nervous chuckle.

“Again? Don’t the Avengers pay you enough for you to afford van?” Bucky huffed.

“Yes, but I just bought a new apartment and I don’t think I’ll have enough left in my bank account if I buy a van. Look, the kids all fit in my car but—” y/n started, only to get cut off my Bucky.

“Then bring your damn car, y/n. What do you keep needing my van for?” Bucky questioned, never really understanding why y/n couldn’t just take her Aston Martin and go.

“Well, last time, I had to bring the kids’ shit to my place. Now, I’m taking their things to the new apartment before they get out of school,” y/n explained, making Bucky smile a little. y/n’s apartment was big…for someone who lived alone or had one roommate. It wasn’t exactly ideal for one Avenger and five kids, though.

“That’s…that’s actually pretty amazing, congratulations on the new place. I’ll bring the van over,” Bucky’s eyes went wide upon hearing the news. Though he and y/n didn’t see eye-to-eye, he knew how big of a step it was to buy a home for your family. After all, it was what Bucky dreamed of for life after the war.

He didn’t want to be an Avenger. He never wanted to be HYDRA’s asset. No, he wanted a simple life. He was willing to set aside his playboy ways in pursuit of true love. A few years after the war, maybe he and the love of his life would have been married had he not been captured by HYDRA. They would’ve bought a house together where they raised their family, eventually growing old together. That, that was the life Bucky dreamed he would have had after the war.

But life isn’t fair. At that point, he was sure life in Wakanda was the closest thing to domesticity he would ever have in life. Sure, y/n wasn’t settling down in the more ‘traditional’ way, but she had a home for her family.

“Thank you! You’re a fucking life saver!” y/n exclaimed excitedly before Bucky heard a loud thud from the other end of the line.

“Did you trip over something?” he raised a brow, recalling how clumsy of a person y/n is when she isn’t out on the field.

“yes,” y/n mumbled after a quick moment of silence. Bucky burst out in a fit of laughter; of course, she tripped over something!

“Are you sure you don’t need any help? The van isn’t even there yet and you’re already tripping over things,” Bucky chuckled.

“If this is you offering to help me carry boxes, why?” he could hear the confusion in y/n’s voice, “Wait, if this is about you proving you’re better than me, Allie probably doesn’t remember you anymore.”

“I can’t be that forgettable! She’ll remember me, I swear to god,” Bucky challenged her, pulling a chuckle from the other side of the line.

“Yeah sure whatever. Get your ass over here now, the kids get out of school in six hours,” y/n demanded, her voice holding a certain sense of urgency.

“Alright, calm down, I’m on my way,” Bucky chuckled before dropping the call. He headed into his bedroom to change into a sweatshirt and jeans before driving his van to y/n’s apartment building and heading up to her apartment unit.

He brought his fist up on the door, knocking it quietly against the wood. After a minute or two, y/n swung the door open, Allie in her arms. Bucky’s eyes lit up like a Christmas tree at the sight of his new favorite person.

“CKY!” Allie exclaimed excitedly, reaching for Bucky and trying to wiggle out of y/n’s grip. Bucky smirked victoriously at y/n who just rolled her eyes in response.

“I told you she’d remember me,” Bucky smiled, taking Allie from y/n’s grip.

“Little traitor,” y/n frowned, letting Bucky take the toddler from her before she turned to the pile of boxes in the living room.

“Don’t be better just because she likes me better. Isn’t that right, Allie? I told you I was the better Avenger,” Bucky chuckled, making faces with Allie.

“Okay, so you go do whatever the hell it is you do, but I’ve got to put all these boxes onto whatever this is,” y/n chuckled stacking a box onto the trolley that she may or may not have “borrowed” from the downstairs staff.

“You’re an Avenger, can’t you just borrow something from the tower that would make all this easier?” Bucky raised a brow, lounging on the couch with Allie tugging on his hair.

“Last time I borrowed something, it got me forever banned from borrowing things from the tower when I’m off duty, so no. Fury’s still kind of mad at the fact that I took the quinjet on a joyride to England to go see an Adele concert,” y/n cringed, remembering the hell Fury managed to reign on her life the moment she landed the jet.

“Is that when you were suspended without pay for two months and you weren’t allowed on any S.H.I.E.L.D bases and non-residential areas of the compound?” Bucky’s brows furrowed.

“Yes. Yes, it was,” y/n nodded before continuing the work Bucky was supposed to be helping her with. Of course, he’d gotten distracted and ended up playing with Allie.

“I told you I was the better Avenger. Unlike her, I can actually do my job right,” Bucky cooed, poking Allie’s nose.

“Better?” Allie’s brows furrowed, as though asking Bucky the meaning of the word itself.

“Better means Bucky,” Bucky insisted before chuckling.

“Stop, you’re teaching her the wrong things. Allie, baby, better means auntie y/n,” y/n smiled, patting Allie on the head before continuing with her task at hand.

“No! Better Ayee!” Allie frowned, making Bucky chuckle.

“I guess you’ll be a better Avenger if you decide you want to be a S.H.I.E.L.D agent. You’re going to be doing a much better job than your aunt. Just make sure you find a better trainer, okay? Hell, if you’re older and you decide you want to be an Avenger, come find me,” Bucky chuckled.

“Me be Avenger?” Allie questioned, looking up at Bucky, her e/c eyes shining under the living room lights.

“No, Allie. You aren’t going to be an Avenger,” y/n rolled her eyes, giving Bucky a warning look as he chuckled to himself.

“Why?” Allie questioned.

“Because you’re just a baby, you’re not supposed to fight,” y/n explained as Allie frowned in response. God, the idea of being an Avenger was just drilled into her tiny brain, wasn’t it?

“It’s fine, kiddo. I’ll just train you when your Aunt’s not looking,” Bucky whispered quietly, pulling a gummy smile from Allie.

“Yeye,” she nodded excitedly.

“Barnes, I swear to god, you need to stop trying to turn my niece into your little protégé, she’s too young,” y/n huffed, taking a seat on the trolley, “didn’t you offer to help me out with this?”

“Well, yeah. I am helping! I mean seriously, do you think you would get this much work done if I didn’t get my protégé—I mean, Allie, out of your hair?” Bucky raised a brow as he faced y/n, Allie’s expression mirroring his own.

“Allie, you are not going to turn into a mini Barnes, okay? Your mommy would kill me if you did,” y/n shook her head scooping Allie up from Bucky’s arms.

“What? Are you just going to pack the boxes up while holding onto Allie? That seems like an awful precaution just to stop me from teaching her the most important life lessons she’ll ever learn,” Bucky scoffed, a frown on his face.

“Nope. You’re going to put the boxes onto the trolley like you said you’d do. You can go play with Allie when you’ve actually helped out like you said you would,” y/n smirked proudly before plopping down onto the couch with Allie sitting on her stomach.

“You’re the only reason I’m doing this, so I hope you’re proud of yourself,” Bucky sent a fake glare over to Allie as he pointed at her. In response, that sassy toddler stuck out her tongue before she began playing with y/n’s hair. Maybe she should’ve pulled her hair back before picking up Allie.


	8. i hate you but take me to midtown

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> y/n gets a call from Olivia's guidance counselor

“Oh hey, would you look at that! I finished stacking the boxes, can I have my proté—Allie back now?” Bucky exclaimed, showing off the precisely stacked boxes onto the trolley.

“I should start bribing you with time with my niece to get you to do shit,” y/n chuckled, getting up from the couch and willingly handing Allie over to Bucky.

“Finally. Hey, kid, did you miss me?” Bucky smiled holding Allie up over his head.

“Cky!” Allie exclaimed, once again tugging at his long brown hair. Since Bucky picked her up for the first time the week prior, he’d already gotten used to the feeling of having Allie’s chubby fingers playing with and occasionally tugging on his hair.

“Your niece likes me better than you, l/n. You might want to step your game up a bit,” Bucky chuckled, only to be greeted with a stomp on his foot.

“Allie, how could you? I bought an apartment with a whole room for you!” y/n fake frowned before chuckling and pushing the trolley out her door.

“Barnes, which parking lot’s the van parked in?” y/n questioned as soon as she stepped out the door.

“The one right in front of the building entrance, why?” Bucky questioned, his gaze not leaving Allie’s.

“Because I need to load the boxes onto the van,” y/n stated, her brows furrowing, “wait, are you just going to stay here with Allie or are you guys going to go with me to the apartment?”

“I think we should go with you. I did promise to help after all,” Bucky shrugged, getting up from the seat and following after y/n.

“You haven’t been any help, but sure,” y/n chuckled, shaking her head as she slowly wheeled the trolley down the hallway and into the elevator area.

“That’s not true. I packed half of the boxes onto that adult stroller and I’m taking care of this one,” Bucky smiled, poking Allie in the nose making her giggle.

“You won’t last a day taking care of Allie, Barnes. She’s sweet now, but she gets really fussy,” y/n shook her head, “but I swear to god, if you don’t help with the boxes on the way up, I’m banning you from seeing Allie ever again.”

“y/n, there’s no need to threaten me like that around the kid. Jesus Christ, woman, you need to chill—” Bucky tried to sound serious, shielding Allie away from y/n’s gaze before breaking out in a fit of laughter. As the days progressed, Bucky found comfort in adding a little bit of humor in his every day life. After all the serious business he had to attend to, humor was like a crutch or a support system keeping him from falling apart.

“No, but I’m serious, I’m going to need a shit ton of help to get everything up and unpacked. Everything in the apartment’s furnished, all I have to do is get the kids’ things into the closets and the place is good to go,” y/n smiled, trying to imagine how the kids would react when they see the place.

Along with the will and letters, y/n found blueprints in the manila envelope; blueprints that read “dream home” along with several drawings clipped onto them. y/n recognized some of the drawings as those of the kids’ and y/n knew she, at some point, would build that house from the ground up for her sister.

However, knowing damn well houses took time, she settled for an apartment furnished the same way the drawings with the blueprints were. She prayed that the kids—Ethan to be more specific—would warm up to her after the gesture.

“I already told you I was going to help. Could you relax now, please?” Bucky chuckled before turning to Allie, “your auntie’s a bit of a control freak, isn’t she?”

“I heard that,” y/n rolled her eyes, making Allie giggle bashfully.

“You were meant to,” Bucky grinned before stepping into the elevator while y/n pushed the trolley into the elevator as the doors shut.

Bucky led y/n through the parking lot and to the van before handing Allie over to y/n, leaving the girl confused.

“I told you I was going to help and that’s exactly what I’m doing, so could you please take the kid?” Bucky smiled genuinely as y/n took Allie from Bucky’s arms as he began packing the boxes into the back of the van.

“Damn, Barnes, you’re actually making yourself useful for once. You should try it out on the field sometime,” y/n chuckled, watching Bucky load the boxes into the van with ease, making sure everything was fixed in a way that nothing would fall out of place or would move around too much while the car moved. Maybe that sniper accuracy was good for other things besides field work.

“Nice one, l/n, but I’m actually finished now,” Bucky smirked, proudly displaying the way the boxes were neatly packed into the back of his van.

“That was…what the actual fuck, that was quick!” y/n exclaimed in shock, startling Allie a little as she looked up at y/n with confusion.

“Because unlike some people, I know how to pack things quickly. This applies to packing ammo and weapons into the quinjet too,” Bucky chuckled.

“I like to take my time to make sure I have everything. You have a fucking metal arm good to go at all times but I have no fucking idea what to do without my guns,” y/n chuckled as she handed Allie over to Bucky, leaving him a little confused too.

“Hey, y/n, I think you’re forgetting the fact that I’d never let you drive my van if I’m around,” Bucky chuckled, holding Allie out for y/n to carry.

“I know, but I have to put the trolley back in the lobby, dumbass. Can you please hold Allie just until I get back? I promise I won’t be driving your van if that thought pisses you off so much,” y/n chuckled, earning a short nod from Bucky before she took off, riding the trolley and acting as though it were a scooter.

“Took you long enough, Bucky chuckled as y/n got back from the lobby.

“It’s because I didn’t have the trolley to ride on my way back and I had to fucking walk,” y/n huffed tiredly, wiping a beat of sweat off her forehead.

“You’re an Avenger, you’re not supposed to be this out of shape!” Bucky chuckled, handing Allie over to y/n.

“Well, considering the fact that I have not been able to sleep as well as I’d like to. Believe it or not, I actually take being an aunt pretty seriously…and well, Allie cries in the middle of the night so that’s fun too,” y/n chuckled, opening door of the van and getting into the backseat.

“Damn, you’re going to be much more of a liability now on the field than you usually are,” Bucky quipped, getting into the driver’s seat and starting the engine.

“They had FRIDAY installed in your van too, right?” y/n questioned, setting Allie on her lap because she hasn’t been able to buy a car seat.

“Hello, Agent l/n,” came FRIDAY’s voice in response to her question.

“Okay, good,” y/n smiled before instructing FRIDAY to set the GPS to the address of her new apartment complex.

“Otie, who talking?” Allie questioned, looking up at y/n in confusion.

“Oh, that’s FRIDAY and she uh lives in Bucky’s car, I guess,” y/n chuckled, trying to explain in the most child-friendly way possible. There was no way in hell Allie would understand y/n if she said ‘this is FRIDAY, she’s an artificial intelligence made by Tony Stark to help out with his suit, but then he installed her into the tower and now the Avengers’ vehicles’ so she had to be careful with her wording.

“Hi FRIDAY!” Allie exclaimed excitedly, looking around for the source of the voice.

“Hello, what’s your name, little one?” FRIDAY questioned, pulling a look of excitement from Allie’s face.

“Ayee!” Allie exclaimed excitedly. y/n smiled, Allie was definitely going to be an extrovert like Cassy when she grew older.

“FRIDAY, this is my niece Allie,” y/n whispered into one of the mics installed so FRIDAY could hear her.

“Hello, Allie,”

“Where you, FRIDAY?” Allie questioned, her brows furrowing.

“I am an artificial intelligence my main framework is located within the Avengers Compound,” FRIDAY responded, leaving the toddler confused.

“Otie y/n, what FRIDAY say?” Allie questioned, looking up at y/n with her brown eyes.

“You’ll understand when you’re—wait, my phone is ringing,” y/n cut herself off when she noticed the way her phone was buzzing in her back pocket.

She pulled the phone out and saw an unknown phone number flashing on her phone. Her heart was filled with a sense of dread; the last time she’d gotten a phone call from an unknown number, she got custody of four kids!

“Hello?” y/n questioned, placing the phone onto her shoulder and leaning onto it, leaving her arms free to hold onto Allie.

“Hi, is this y/n l/n?” an unfamiliar woman’s voice came from the other line of the phone.

“Speaking,” y/n responded cautiously.

“Hi, I’m a guidance counselor at Midtown High. Your niece, Olivia Langdon, was directed at my office since she had a breakdown in the middle of class. I had a talk to her teachers for the next few subjects and I got her excused from having to finish the whole school day. She says she can take the bus home, but in the condition she’s in, I don’t think she should be commuting alone. Would it be okay to ask that you fetch her from school?” the woman requested, her words making y/n’s expression drop.

“Otie y/n, you okay?” Allie questioned, her hands pushing y/n’s lips up to form a smile.

“Shh, yeah, auntie y/n is okay,” y/n gave Allie a reassuring smile before responding to Olivia’s guidance counselor, “Yeah, I’ll go pick Olivia up. What about Ethan, how’s he holding up?”

“Your nephew seems to be doing better than Olivia. Should I have him pulled out of class too?” y/n bit her lip, hesitant to answer. If she pulled Ethan out of class, would he be mad at her? Was class a welcome distraction to Ethan? Was it his way of coping with his mom’s death?

“No, but I will fetch him after his regularly scheduled classes,” y/n responded.

“Very well. I’ll tell Olivia you’re on your way,” the guidance counselor responded before dropping the call.

“FRIDAY, redirect the GPS to Midtown High,” y/n requested.

“Very well, Agent l/n,” FRIDAY responded with a beep.

“Was that the spider kid?” Bucky questioned, his brows furrowing.

“No, why would you think Peter would call?” y/n chuckled.

“Well, isn’t Midtown his school too? I just assumed he needed a ride,” Bucky shrugged.

“That was the guidance counselor. Olivia had a breakdown in the middle of class and I should pick her up,” y/n explained, earning a nod from Bucky.

“Well, we better get going,” Bucky spoke, speeding the van up a bit, going way too high above the speed limit.

They’d arrived at Midtown pretty quickly thanks to Bucky’s maniacal driving. They stopped at the gates where a middle-aged woman—the guidance counselor, y/n guessed—was comforting Olivia.

y/n swung the door open, a sad expression on her face, before she wrapped her arms around Olivia as the girl sobbed into her shoulder.

“Auntie y/n, I thought I was ready to go to school. I mean, it’s been a week! I’m usually not this sad about things, but why does it hurt so much?” Olivia sobbed into her aunt’s shoulder.

“It’s gonna be okay, Livvy,” Allie smiled, trying to wipe the tears away from Olivia’s face.

“Auntie y/n, how do you do it? How come you aren’t broken up with everything that’s happening?” Olivia questioned, looking up at y/n with her bloodshot eyes.

“Well, sweetheart, I’m just trying to put on a brave face for you guys. God, I love you all, but with everything going on, I just don’t have time to really process the fact that she’s gone now. I know you and your siblings probably think I didn’t care much about you after I distanced myself, but it doesn’t make it hurt any less that I lost my baby sister,” y/n smiled sadly, holding in a sob.

“But how do you put on this brave face of yours? How come you can deal with it all?” Olivia questioned, her brows furrowing.

“Look, I’m a spy, acting’s kind of a job requirement in this field. None of it changes how I really feel. I understand how you feel; you lost your mom. I lost her too and trust me, all of this fucking hurts. There is absolutely nothing wrong with how you’re feeling, sweetheart,” y/n whispered, holding onto the brown-haired girl tightly as she sobbed into y/n’s shoulder. At that moment, she was willing to bare her heart to her niece. Besides Allie and Bucky who was in the car, nobody else was there to listen…or so she thought.

Little did she know, Ethan, who was just passing by, stopped in his tracks when he heard the way his sister cried to the guidance counselor. He didn’t care if he was going to be late for class, he wanted to hear Olivia talk and he wanted to hear the counselor tell her ways she could cope with their mother’s death. He wanted to learn how to properly cope with his mother’s death.

He didn’t think y/n was going to show up and he sure as hell did not expect to hear what he’d just heard. It was at that moment it hit him; his aunt y/n lost her sister too. All that hell he reigned upon her sure as hell didn’t help with her coping.

“Shit,” he mumbled to himself before heading off to class with the promise that he would be better with his aunt.


	9. i hate you but i want you here

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> bucky questions if he should be there for y/n when she moves

“Aunt y/n, correct me if I’m wrong, but aren’t you also the one responsible for planning mom’s funeral?” Olivia looked up at y/n, her sobs calming down as she got in the car.

“Well, I didn’t want to bother you with all this, but yes,” y/n nodded slowly as Bucky could see her growing with unease from the mirror.

“When?” Olivia looked up at y/n, her eyes red and puffy.

“It’s in four days,” y/n admitted, unsure of how Olivia would respond to the statement. Olivia blinked, shocked that y/n, who was still learning the ropes of raising four kids, managed to plan Cassy’s funeral within just a little over a week.

“And you have the whole service planned?” Olivia questioned, her brows furrowing.

“Well, there are a few things I nee—”

“I want to help! I just, I owe it to mom to at least plan her funeral,” Oliva smiled sadly, looking up at y/n.

“Are you sure you can do it? I know you love Cassy, but are you sure that you’re ready to face this kind of thing?” y/n questioned, her brows furrowing in concern.

“This should help me get some closure, right, Mister Barnes?” Olivia questioned, propping up to the front seat and peeking over to Bucky who sat in the driver’s seat.

“Well, I think that if it’ll give her closure, you should let her help you out with the planning,” Bucky smiled, peering at y/n through the mirror.

“See, aunt y/n? Even your teammate thinks you should let me help with the planning. Mrs. Castro told me I can take the next week or two off from school and I can help you out. What other things do you think you need to finish with planning?” Olivia questioned, facing y/n, “wait, this isn’t the way to your apartment.”

“So, are you going to tell her?” Bucky questioned, raising a brow.

“That you guys are dating? I mean it was pretty obvious, aunt y/n,” Olivia chuckled, looking expectantly at y/n.

“Where the hell did you get that idea, Liv? Bucky and I aren’t dating,” y/n shook her head.

“So, you guys are married? Engaged?” Olivia questioned, her eyes growing wide.

“Liv, sweetie, no. Sweetheart, did your mother ever make you help plan out like a dream room?” y/n questioned, her voice filled with sincerity, leaving Olivia a little confused.

“Yeah, she made Jackson, Ethan, and I draw how we wanted our rooms to look like and uh, she also asked what we wanted for our house,” Olivia explained, earning an eager nod from y/n.

“Well, what if I tell you I got you your dream room and that library you wanted. Yes, the penthouse was pretty expensive, but I want you guys to be happy,” y/n smiled, watching as Olivia’s eyes widened in shock and excitement.

“You bought a penthouse? Just for us? And I’m getting that library I’ve always wanted,” Olivia breathed out, a smile finding its way to her face.

“Well, yeah. I mean, it’s been a while since I gave you those little gifts I do with those weekly visits. The penthouse and everything, I’m pretty sure it makes up for it all,” y/n smiled, engulfing Olivia in a hug.

“You’re the best!” Olivia exclaimed, tightly clinging onto y/n and almost forgetting Allie was in her aunt’s lap.

“Livvy, you too heavy!” Allie whined, trying to push Olivia off her. Olivia pulled away immediately, trying n

“Sorry, about that, but Allie, Auntie y/n bought an apartment just for us. Wait a minute, how’d you get the place ready? You only had a week and a half,” Olivia narrowed her eyes at y/n in shock.

“Well, I’m an Avenger. I have connections,” y/n winked.

“That’s code for she picked up Tony Stark’s snobbish ways before he…well, you know. They were pretty close,” Bucky chuckled, remembering the hell y/n reigned on him in the battle in Germany before he went under the ice. She was one hell of a force to be reckoned with.

“Well, I mean, I asked Pepper for who his interior designers were and they kind of did most of the work. It was pretty cool to be receiving emails and returning them like adults usually do,” y/n admitted, a bashful smile on her face. It was one of the perks of being an Avenger. Although she was handling things most adults didn’t, she was a giant child whenever she was in the compound, seeing as she didn’t have to worry about most things most adults had to like managing their jobs.

“Being an adult is a concept your aunt hasn’t grasped yet,” Bucky chuckled before having Allie’s tiny shoe thrown at him by y/n from the backseat.

“I have a penthouse and four kids, how much more of an adult can I be, Barnes?” y/n chuckled, earning a nod from Olivia.

“Yeah, well, I lived through a war, l/n,” Bucky pointed out.

“That was forever ago, Barnes. You’re an old man who doesn’t even have his own place, yikes,” y/n flinched jokingly.

“I was living on my own in Wakanda, was I not?” Bucky frowned.

“With goats who turd all over your wonderful land. Yeah, I was there when T’Challa gave you the new arm. You reminded me of a one-armed Jesus,” y/n chuckled.

“So, you’re a stalker now?”

“First of all, they made me wait in the car because I was tired from the quinjet ride. I wasn’t exactly planning on fighting a giant grape of flying to Wakanda that day,” y/n chuckled, “you would know that if you didn’t insist on riding the hood of the car. Seriously, what the hell was that about,” y/n giggled, recalling the way Bucky decided to just chill on the hood of a moving car as they made their way to the palace that day.

“It was something I used to do as the Soldier. For some reason, there’s something comforting about letting go and just living in the moment…while riding the front of a car,” Bucky chuckled.

“You’re weird,” y/n chuckled.

“And you’re supposed to be normal?”

“Touché, Barnes. Touché,” y/n chuckled.

The next few minutes—to Olivia’s entertainment—went on like that before FRIDAY announced “You’ve arrived at your destination.”

“Okay, so they mailed me the keys and now I get to check the place out with you guys for the first time,” y/n smiled sliding the van door open.

“As much as I like messing things up for you, are you sure you want me here? You’re walking into what could be your home for years, are you sure you want me there?” Bucky questioned, locking up the van.

“You’ve been a huge help with everything, Bucky and as much as I hate you, it just wouldn’t feel right without you here if that makes sense. I mean seriously, you’re the man child who Allie happens to like more than me, you’re basically family,” y/n chuckled, patting Bucky on the back.

“Speaking of, can I maybe hold Allie? God knows when you’re shocked, you tend to drop things and I don’t think I want to trust you with holding onto my protégé,” Bucky chuckled, reaching for Allie.

“Am I the only one who thinks you guys would make a good couple?” Olivia cut in.

“Yes,” Bucky and y/n responded in unison earning a giggle from Olivia.

“You guys wait here, I’m just going to borrow one of those giant strollers from the lobby so we can bring everything up with us too,” y/n requested before bolting away as fast as her legs could take her to the lobby, excitement taking over the best of her.

In record time, y/n got back, still using the trolley as a scooter, but something was wrong. She was going way too fast for her liking. The moment Bucky knew something was wrong, he immediately stepped in the way of the rogue trolley and grabbing onto the sides with his metal arm, effectively stopping the cart in its tracks.

“Can you learn to be careful for once? The only reason you haven’t been filed with destruction of private property is because you’re an Avenger and it happens every other day on the job,” Bucky chuckled at how tightly y/n was gripping onto the metal bars of the trolley.

“Thanks for that, I guess,” y/n chuckled nervously as she stepped off the trolley and opened the back of the van.

“You managed to pack everything we own and get it here while we were in school? You’re definitely a superhero for a reason,” Olivia chuckled, beginning to unpack the boxes.

“Are you going to help?” y/n questioned, facing Bucky.

“I’m helping by holding onto Allie,” Bucky spoke, earning him a glare from y/n, “but I guess I can use my free arm to help unpack things too.”

“Thank you,” y/n smiled before stacking the boxes one by one. They finished much quicker than they did previously since Olivia was now there to help them….and the fact that Bucky, whilst holding onto Allie, actually helped out much more than he did.

“Everything’s packed up, let’s go?” Bucky questioned, raising a brow at y/n who nodded eagerly in response.

At the lobby, the concierge looked up at y/n, recognized her, and allowed them to get to the elevator area in peace. They all got in the elevator, the trolley crowding them quite a bit, and with every ding which meant they’d passed a floor, y/n’s excitement grew and grew.

Whether or not Bucky would admit it, seeing y/n happy brought a smile to his face. It was rare for an Avenger to have something similar to domesticity outside the tower. Yes, the Avengers were their family in a way, but seeing y/n with the kids made him feel a certain way he couldn’t explain.

“We’re here!” y/n exclaimed excitedly as the elevator doors swung open the moment they’d hit the penthouse level.

“y/n, don’t be so loud. Your neighbors are going to hate you and you haven’t even moved into the place yet,” Bucky quipped, helping y/n pull the trolley out.

“Good point,” y/n chuckled before looking for the right penthouse unit; P12.

“Is this it? Because I was kind of expecting a grander doorstep,” Bucky quipped, staring at the oak door with metal numbers nailed onto it.

“You’re really judging this place by the doorstep?” y/n crossed her arms, raising her brow at Bucky.

“Auntie y/n, can we just, you know, go inside?” Olivia questioned, practically bouncing up and down with excitement.

“Alright, alright,” y/n chuckled, sliding the keys into the keyhole and swinging the door open. y/n’s arms found their way over her mouth as she saw the place; the whole living room felt like how her sister’s drawing looked like.

“I told you I should be the one holding Allie,” Bucky quipped only to get a slap to the arm.

“Shut up and let me enjoy this moment, Barnes.”


	10. i hate you but i'll look after allie

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> y/n has to fetch her nephews but can't leave her nieces alone in the house

“Auntie y/n, do you know which way my room is?” Olivia questioned, her eyes lighting up with excitement as she examined their new place. Their old house, it was generic, it wasn’t what her mother would have wanted.

Yes, it was spacious, but nothing about it seemed as though it was a home. Sure, Cassy tried to make the house feel like home, but it was all still so generic. That was why she went behind her husband’s back to create the blueprints for her dream home.

“Not really. There’s only one way to find out,” y/n smirked, igniting a fire in Olivia’s eyes.

“And I can explore the penthouse? Are you sure you don’t need help unpacking things or anything?” Olivia rambled, her eyes still filled with excitement.

“Liv, sweetheart, you live here and I think you should explore a bit. When you go find your room, you can take the boxes of your things—they’re labeled, don’t worry—to your room and you can start to unpack if you want. Bucky and I will handle the rest of the boxes,” y/n smiled reassuringly, earning an excited nod from Olivia. Eagerly, the girl rushed towards the first door she could find.

“Who said I was going to do anything else from this point on?” Bucky questioned, raising a brow at y/n.

“Oh, come on, Barnes! You said you were going to help and I need to go pick Jackson and Ethan up in a few hours, are you sure you aren’t going to help?” y/n pleaded, her e/c eyes piercing deeply into his, planting a seed of doubt in his mind.

“I am helping! I’m helping by holding on to Allie like I’ve been doing all day. I’ve been told multiple times by some of my buddies from SHIELD that holding a baby is a tiring job,” Bucky insisted, earning a glare from y/n.

“Whoever said that better be working as tech support or any job that doesn’t require them to go on the field or I am going to get them fired—plus, you’re a super soldier! Carrying Allie should be absolutely nothing compared to anything you’ve done for the job,” y/n scoffed as Allie looked up at y/n upon hearing her name, still very confused about what her aunt was saying.

“Okay, maybe I was talking to Dan from tech support, but come on! It’s very important that you have someone holding onto Allie,” Bucky grinned proudly.

“Or I could leave her in the walker that’s somewhere in one of these rooms,” y/n pointed out.

“And risk having her crash into things?” Bucky gasped before turning to Allie, “Can you believe your aunt? She’s a child hazard and I should be around more often to take care of you, right?”

“Yeah!” Allie exclaimed excitedly, bouncing happily in Bucky’s arms.

“Well, if you want to stay around more often, maybe you should actually help unpack things,” y/n frowned before an idea popped into her head, “What if you unpack Allie’s things? You guys can even play around with the toys and things when you’ve unpacked them.”

“Why didn’t you just start with that, l/n? Come on, Allie, let’s go get your toys!” Bucky exclaimed excitedly, grabbing one of the boxes labeled with Allie’s name in search for one the room that seemed like it would be Allie’s.

Three doors down the hall, he found a room, decorated with a lovely sea theme with empty white shelves lining the room, the floor covered with a fluffy crème carpet. Upon noticing it, Bucky popped off his shoes, careful not to get his muddied boots onto the carpet.

“Ooh!” Allie exclaimed, her eyes lighting up with excitement as she sees the room.

“You like your room?” Bucky smiled, looking down on her, earning an eager nod from the toddler, “Well, your aunt got it all ready for you. She’s actually a hell of a woman,” Bucky chuckled.

“Sleep?” Allie questioned, pointing towards the crib.

“You’re tired already? Well, I guess you had a long day, huh?” Bucky questioned, moving to set Allie into the plush crib, making sure her head aligned with the small beige pillow in the crib.

“Night night,” Allie mumbled, her eyes slowly shutting as she began to fall asleep. Bucky didn’t understand why y/n said taking care of Allie was difficult at times. He’d been with her for hours and the toddler was now asleep.

Whilst Allie was asleep, he began unpacking everything from the boxes, tucking all Allie’s baby clothes into the white drawers in the corner of the room, fawning over how tiny the clothes were. Then, he went on to put Allie’s plush toys aligned on top of the drawer.

This is what he’d dreamed of at some point. Sure, considering the times changed it wasn’t exactly the idea he had in his head in the ’40s, but he’d always wanted to decorate a room; to fill it with the tiny belongings of his own kid.

He never knew why, but being around y/n and her family reminded him of those dreams he’d kept from the ’40s. He felt as though Allie was the closest thing he could have to having his own kid, while y/n was the closest he could have to—well, a friend, or so he thought.

“This place is looking good. Wait, damn, are those boxes empty?” y/n leaned on the open doorframe, her eyes widening in shock. Bucky, who was seated next to the bottom drawer as he’d placed all Allie’s shoes in, looked up at y/n with a smirk.

“What? Am I being more productive than you are?” Bucky chuckled, raising a brow at y/n.

“For your information, I finished unpacking all of Jackson’s things and I think I should leave Ethan to how he wants to organize his things, so I’m done!” y/n grinned proudly, before receiving a chuckle from Bucky.

“I think you forgot something,” Bucky pointed out, further confusing y/n.

“You live here yet you haven’t unpacked anything you own,” Bucky chuckled, watching as a look of realization formed on y/n’s face.

“Shit, you’re right! But I have to pick up Ethan and Jackson from school in a while and I don’t think I have time to hail a cab and to unpack everything. I left my car in the compound and I’m getting reacquainted with the ways of public transportation,” y/n winked proudly.

“Well, I could drive you,” Bucky suggested, making y/n shake her head in disapproval.

“I only needed your van to move the things. You don’t need to stick around longer than you have to now that Allie’s as—ALLIE’S ASLEEP?” y/n’s eyes grew wide with shock as she saw the toddler sleeping peacefully in her bed, snoring ever so slightly.

“Well, yeah, is that a bad thing?” Bucky questioned, raising a brow at y/n.

“Not really. How’d you get her to sleep, did you tell her one of your boring stories from the good ol’ days?” y/n quipped, earning a huff from Bucky.

“Do you want to borrow the van or not?” Bucky raised a brow at y/n.

“And you’re doing this out of the non-existent goodness of your own heart and not because the van is rigged with explosives—not to kill me, but to injure me to a point that it hurts so much that I wish I was dead instead?” y/n questioned, crossing her arms over her chest, squinting at Bucky in suspicion.

“Wow, that was oddly specific and it’s a good idea, but no, my van is not rigged to kill you or anyone so you can relax,” Bucky chuckled at y/n’s antics.

“Wait, can you just fetch Ethan and Jackson? As much as I want to be a good aunt and pick them up myself, I can’t disturb Allie from her sleep or leave Olivia unsupervised,” y/n frowned before Bucky shook his head, tossing her his keys.

“Or you could just drive the van yourself, pick up the boys, go to the tower, leave the van there, get your car, and drive back here,” Bucky suggested, raising a brow at y/n. Her eyes went wide with shock at his suggestion.

“You know you’re going to have to stay here for an hour and a half if I do that, right?” y/n questioned, raising a brow at Bucky.

“Yes, I’m fine with that,” Bucky huffed, getting impatient with y/n, “so, can you go fetch your nephews now, or are you waiting around for something?” Bucky questioned, raising a brow at y/n.

“Just to be clear, the fridge is empty right now so there’s nothing for you to raid while you’re here,” y/n reminded him before heading down to the lobby and getting into Bucky’s van, driving off to Jackson’s preschool. The guard, upon seeing y/n’s newly-laminated fetcher’s pass, allowed y/n entry into the school.

“Auntie y/n!” Jackson exclaimed excitedly, rushing into y/n’s arms as she kneeled to get to his level, returning the embrace.

“Are we going to pick up Ethan and Livvy like mommy does?” Jackson questioned, looking up at y/n with his big e/c eyes.

“Yes, we are. Come on, let’s go,” y/n smiled down at Jackson before leading him to Bucky’s van and driving to Midtown.

y/n was surprised to be greeted by a hug from Ethan the moment she stepped off the car as he told her about how he got one of the tests back from his teacher and how he aced that test, shocking y/n at his will to suddenly converse with her.


	11. i hate you but i hate funerals more

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> y/n calls bucky to her sister's funeral

Shockingly for y/n, when she told Ethan they were going to switch cars at the compound, no snide comments were made about how unprepared she was nor did he question her ways. He’d simply nodded as he got into his aunt’s car, leaving Bucky’s van behind at the compound as they drove off to the apartment.

“Wait, this isn’t the right building,” Ethan muttered, peering out the tinted windows and seeing a much taller apartment complex than the one they’d been staying in for the past week.

“Well, surprise, I guess?? y/n smiled nervously, awaiting her nephew’s reaction as she carried Jackson—the poor little guy fell asleep the moment he got into the car—off the car seat.

“So, you bought another apartment?” Ethan questioned, an expression of shock making its way on his face as his brown eyes searched y/n’s e/c ones for an answer.

“I guess I did. I couldn’t have you sleeping in the same room with Jackson forever, could I?” y/n smiled, earning a hug from Ethan, shocking her.

“Aunt y/n, I-I’m sorry for the way I’ve been treating you these past few days. I know that you distanced yourself from us for a reason and I shouldn’t be holding it against you,” Ethan mumbled as he pulled away from y/n.

“Okay, enough with that mushy stuff. We both know I’m not good with that, but thank you,” y/n smiled sincerely, “but if all it took for you to start acting nicely was to buy another apartment, I should’ve done this the moment I got custody of you guys.”

“That might actually be a good idea, but can we go inside now?” Ethan chuckled, feeling a sense of excitement was over him as he was about to walk into another chapter of his life. One without his parents, yes, but it was also one with his loving aunt and—the man who he assumed was—her tall boyfriend who seemed as though he was going to be a new constant in their life. 

y/n led them through the lobby, to the elevators, and—to Ethan’s shock—the penthouse level of the complex.

“Ethan, your jaw—it’s on the floor,” y/n chuckled, bringing the back of her fist to the door and knocking.

Of course, as expected, an exhausted Bucky answered the door, a crying Allie in his arms.

“y/n, I’m begging you, please get her to stop,” Bucky pleaded, his ocean eyes piercing deeply into her e/c eyes. Jackson, being awoken by the commotion, shook as he tried walking, immediately failing with the realization that y/n was holding him.

When she realized he was awake, y/n put Jackson back on the ground and whispered, “go find your room, buddy,” before turning to Bucky and scooping Allie up in her arms.

“Bucky, can you go to the diaper bag from the kitchen? It’s on the counter and there should be a bottle and baby formula in one of those containers. Can you please prepare the bottle while I try calming her down?” y/n requested. With a hesitant nod, Bucky disappeared into the kitchen to hopefully not mess up mixing up Allie’s formula.

“No fucking way!” Ethan’s voice came from the hallway, making y/n assume he’d seen his bedroom.

“Maybe watch your language when Jackson and Allie are in the same building you’re in?” y/n suggested, earning a chuckle from Ethan as he reemerged from his bedroom, tears of joy filling his eyes.

“It’s my dream room from mom’s dream house,” he whispered, his hands going up to his mouth as a lone tear fell down in his cheek.

“I want you to know that I’m not trying to replace your mother. I just figured the room could be one of those things you can have to remind yourself of her or to make you feel like she’s there with you,” y/n explained, earning a nod from Ethan as a smile found its way to his face.

“I understand that. Thank you, aunt y/n. You’re the best legal guardian we could’ve ever ended up with,” Ethan smiled before rushing back to his bedroom.

“So, there might have been a mishap with the formula, but I got it right, I think,” Bucky smiled nervously, reemerging from the kitchen with a bottle of milk in his hands…and baby formula all over his arms.

“What the hell happened to you?” y/n giggled, taking the bottle from his hands and helping Allie down the contents of the bottle.

“You didn’t tell me that the container was one of those twist, not pull, situations,” Bucky chuckled nervously, watching as Allie quickly drank everything in the bottle as y/n’s eyes widened.

“Please, don’t tell me the formula you put in the bottle fell on the floor. God, how much of a mess did you make in the kitchen?” y/n gasped, getting up from the couch and walking into the kitchen, frowning at the mess on the countertops, “I spoke too soon.”

“Look, you go stay in the living room and feed Allie, and I’ll clean up this mess before I go,” Bucky smiled, grabbing a rag off the dish counter and wiping off the counter.

“Wait, how are you going to get back to the compound with your van already there?” y/n questioned, raising her brow at him, lulling Allie to sleep.

“It’s New York; I’ll take a taxi,” Bucky winked proudly.

“Cool,” y/n smiled.

“So, uh, I’ll see you around?” Bucky questioned, looking down at y/n as he moved towards the front door.

“Yeah, definitely. Hell, if I ever need a babysitter for Allie, I might even give you a call,” y/n smiled before Bucky walked out the door.

And that she did. She called him right before her sister’s funeral, sobbing to him about how she wasn’t ready to watch her sister’s body become one with the earth; about how she couldn’t accept the fact that her sister was gone.

Wanting to be there for y/n, he threw on his best suit, and drove off to the venue—which y/n hesitantly told him—of Cassy’s funeral in on his Harley Davidson. There, he saw y/n, her arms holding tightly onto Jackson who was sobbing into her shoulder.

“Hi,” Bucky spoke awkwardly, tucking his hands in his pant pockets.

“Hello,” y/n croaked out, her voice hoarse from crying. Hell, the funeral service hasn’t even began and the coffin wasn’t at the site yet. y/n sat in one of the chairs, watching as three men worked to dig up the hole for Cassy’s coffin.

“You called?” Bucky questioned, awkwardly raising a brow at y/n. She wiped her tears away with the back of her palms before smiling up sadly at him.

“Yeah, I told you I’d call if I needed a babysitter for Allie, right?” y/n suggested, looking up at him.

“You want me to take care of Allie during the funeral?” Bucky questioned, shock evident on his face.

“Barnes, none of us are in the right mental state to look after Allie. Since she gets along with you nicely, I think that maybe having you here as her babysitter could work too,” y/n shrugged, a sad smile on her face.

“And Allie? Where is she?” Bucky questioned, looking around the grounds for Allie.

“She’s with Liv. They’re also visiting their grandparents’ graves on the east side of the graveyard. You should be able to find them somewhere there,” y/n explained, earning a nod from Bucky before he went to look for Olivia and Allie.

The moment he got to the east side of the graveyard, he saw Allie, being held by her older sister over a pair of gravestones—ones where y/n’s parents were buried, Bucky assumed—as Allie looked up to Olivia in curiosity.

“—and grandpa are buried, Allie. And—” Bucky heard Olivia choke on a sob, “mommy’s going to be joining them later.”

“Gama and Gampa?” Allie questioned, her brows furrowing and looking up at Olivia.

“Yes, Allie, this is where gama and gampa are,” Olivia smiled down at her before noticing Bucky’s presence behind them.

“CKY!” Allie exclaimed excitedly, trying to take a few steps towards Bucky but failing and getting her dark dress dirtied with the mud off the ground. She didn’t whine; instead, her hands found their way to the ground, digging her small fingers into the earth and bringing them up to her face.

“No!” Bucky exclaimed, pulling Allie up from the ground and distracting her from what it was she was planning to do.

“I didn’t know you were coming,” Olivia smiled, looking up at Bucky as she wiped the grass off her pants.

“Yeah, well your aunt called and I came, I guess,” Bucky shrugged, his brows furrowing as he tried cleaning the mud off Allie’s hands.

“Good. As much as she likes to tell everyone she’s this tough Avenger, I think she really needs a shoulder to lean on today,” Olivia smiled before waving and walking back to the dig site, joining y/n and Jackson.

Bucky, not really knowing what to do to help clean Allie up, found one of the groundskeepers of the graveyard and questioned them where the bathroom was, consciously keeping Allie’s hands away from her mouth as she whined.

“Allie, please do not put your hands in your mouth,” Bucky shook his head, using his metal arm to gently pull Allie’s mud-caked hands away from her face.

“AH!” Allie insisted, trying to pull her hand back up to her face. God, why did the bathrooms have to be located at the—very distant—main gates to the graveyard?

“No,” Bucky’s brows furrowed, his pace quickening as he made his way to the bathroom, his flesh hand now holding Allie’s in a firm yet gentle grip.

“Water?” Allie looked up at him then at the ceramic faucet in front of him.

“Yes, water. I’m going to go clean your hands now, okay?” Bucky questioned slowly, earning an eager nod from Allie as she set her hands under the sink as Bucky turned on the water, checking it to make sure that the water would not be too cold for Allie’s sensitive skin.

Little by little—and to Allie’s distaste—Bucky began to scrub the residual mud off her hands, even going as far as to wash under her tiny fingernails to seal the deal. She looked up at him, a pout on her face, before earning a chuckle form Bucky.

“There is no way your aunt’s going to let me take care of you if you show up to the funeral caked in mud,” Bucky shook his head.

“F-iuneral?” Allie questioned, looking up to Bucky for the meaning of the word. Before Bucky could have a very awkward conversation with a toddler about death, his phone began ringing, y/n’s name flashing on the front of the screen.

“Buck, everyone’s getting here now, can you get your ass over here?” y/n requested, a sad chuckle leaving her lips.

“I’m with your niece and you’re on loudspeaker, so I’d watch my language if I were you. Don’t worry, though, I’m on my way,” Bucky reassured her, picking Allie off the ceramic sink and heading back to the dig sight where people began to gather with a coffin laying over the mechanism set up to slowly lower the coffin into the hole.

“Hey, Allie, there’s your auntie y/n,” Bucky smiled down at her as he tried handing Allie over to y/n, before Allie shook her head, pulling herself closer to Bucky.

“Allie, come on, it’s me, your auntie y/n,” y/n chuckled, holding her arms out so Allie would go back into y/n’s arms—just for a little while.

“Otie? Why you sad?” Allie’s brows furrowed, moving into y/n’s arms and wiping the traces of tears away from y/n’s cheeks.

“Well, baby, it’s because I wanted to spend more time with you,” y/n smiled, cuddling up to Allie who giggled at the affection.

“I-I should go,” Bucky stated awkwardly, tilting his head away from y/n.

“No!” Allie exclaimed, trying to escape y/n’s grasps again. Bucky looked to y/n, her eyes bloodshot and puffy, before earning a nod from her.

“Please, stay, just for some emotional support for—well, for Allie,” y/n chuckled nervously, earning a smile of approval from Allie.

And that’s exactly what Bucky did. While the funeral service went on, Bucky watched, staying in—although he didn’t feel like he belonged there—front row of seats with y/n, Olivia, Ethan, Allie, and Jackson. He was there to watch their reactions as the coffin was lowered into the ground, even taking Allie from y/n’s hold to avoid Allie getting crushed when her older siblings and y/n held each other tightly in a bone-crushing hug, sobbing as they kept each other from falling apart.

He stayed glue in his seat as people began leaving, him unable to stand up as he didn’t think it right to leave Allie or y/n in the state their family was in. It was when y/n took one last look at the patch of dirt that Bucky knew he was ready to go. He handed Allie over to y/n, a reassuring smile on his face, before he went to leave the graveyard and onto his motorcycle.

Before he could get anywhere, though, Bucky was stopped by a familiar voice calling out his name.

“Mister Barnes! Wait!” Ethan panted as he ran up to Bucky’s bike.

“Kid? Aren’t you supposed to be with your Aunt and your siblings?” Bucky questioned, raising a brow at Ethan.

“Look, I messed up, dude. I-Aunt y/n got a call from my grandpa—I mean, my dad’s dad. I think it had something to do with a mistake I made. I like living with aunt y/n and I don’t know what I was thinking when I fucked everything up,” Ethan broke down, his brown eyes piercing into Bucky’s blue ones.

“Kid, what do you want me to do?” Bucky sighed, leaning up in front of the motorcycle.

“I want you to be there for aunt y/n. Just like you always do. My grandparents? They’re manipulative. I told them I didn’t like it with aunt y/n and I think they called her about getting custody of me. Look, I don’t know what you can do, but she’s meeting up with them at the Starbucks downtown at 4 o’clock,” Ethan informed him before rushing back to y/n’s car, leaving Bucky in a state of concern and confusion.


	12. i hate you but my sister's in-laws suck

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> y/n meets with the kids' grandparents

y/n was beyond shocked when she’d received the call from the kids’ grandparents. First off, she didn’t know them nor has she ever met them. From what Cassy had told her, her husband’s parents were major snobs like everyone else from that side of the family. That she only ever put up with them to please her husband and so her kids would have good connections with their entire family.

So, to say she was beyond shocked when they called to meet up with her was an understatement. Yes, she was sure they’d found out about Cassy’s death and their son’s imprisonment, but y/n had no idea how they’d found out about her being their legal guardian and how they found her number.

They were quick to get to the point, though. They’d left her with a location, time, and the words “Meet us there and don’t be late. We want to talk to you about something concerning our grandchildren.”

Of course, y/n knew she couldn’t say no to them. It would’ve been against Cassy’s intentions for her children for y/n to reject the kids’ grandparents’ attempts to insert themselves into their lives.

y/n, her blank after the funeral, drove the car away from the graveyard, tears welling up in her eyes. She found herself wondering that if she’d stayed, would Cassy still be alive? Would she have been there to tell Cassy not to get into the car with her drunk bastard of a husband?

“Aunt y/n, you’re overthinking again,” Ethan chuckled nervously, noticing the look on y/n’s face as he sat in the passenger seat next to her.

“Sorry about that. I uh, I was trying to think about what we should have for dinner tonight,” y/n mumbled absentmindedly, staring at the fluorescent red glow of the traffic signal.

“Can we have cake for dinner?” Jackson, oblivious to his Aunt’s attempts to cover up her grief, questioned excitedly.

“Sorry, buddy, but your mommy would haunt me if I let you have dessert for dinner,” y/n chuckled lowly, earning a slow nod from Jackson as he sank back into his seat.

Olivia, noting the sad tones in her aunt’s voice, reminded herself to have a talk with her aunt. The funeral left all of them—Allie included—exhausted whether it be physically or emotionally. In the past week, Olivia saw how her aunt acted as though I was okay; even being faced by the reality of it the day y/n fetched her from Midtown for the first time.

“You know what, why don’t we stay at home for dinner and order a few boxes of pizza instead?” y/n suggested, earning an eager nod from Jackson as he excitedly repeated ‘yes’ loud enough for everyone in the car to hear him.

It both fascinated and scared Olivia how y/n bottled everything up whenever she was around them. How she acted like how the media perceived her; a strong-willed Avenger, not once faltering. It also concerned her; how often did y/n take the time to admit to herself that she wasn’t okay? How much time a day did y/n have to cope with her sister’s death while being tasked with taking care of four kids.

Excluding the time y/n left Olivia and Allie with Bucky when she went to fetch Ethan and Jackson, not once did she hire someone to watch the kids nor did she leave the younger kids alone at the house. Hell, when y/n went to the grocery store, Olivia and Ethan had to remind her that they could be left alone in the penthouse.

Hesitantly, she left them there, only taking Allie and Jackson along with her as she bought the groceries. Olivia knew Jackson was a handful when it came to grocery shopping. That’s why It didn’t quite shock her when her aunt walked into the penthouse, a trolley full of grocery bags, with Jackson diving in to grab the snack he’d convinced y/n to buy for him.

‘Just like he used to do with mom’ Olivia chuckled to herself that day.

The moment y/n got out the car, she took Allie’s sleeping form from Liv, earning a ‘thank you’ knowing damn well Allie was going to be harder for Olivia to carry now that she had to walk up to their place.

“Auntie y/n, you’re ordering a pizza for us still, right?” Jackson questioned, tiredly rubbing his eyes.

“Yes, I’m ordering a pizza still,” y/n nodded, earning a hug around her legs from Jackson, “but please, take a nap before the pizza gets here. You’re looking pretty tired buddy.”

That was what Jackson did the moment they got up to their place. He rushed to his room, got in his bed, and drifted off to sleep. His little “nap” however, was extended when y/n couldn’t bring herself to wake him up from his sleep.

He was surprised to wake up with the sun in his eyes and the scent of toast filling his room. He frowned, disappointed at his auntie y/n for not waking him up when the pizza arrived. When he entered the kitchen, he found his aunt cooking eggs on a skillet while his older siblings ate in peace.

“Auntie y/n, you didn’t wake me up for pizza,” he frowned, looking up at her.

“Oh, I’m sorry about that buddy. You know what? You can go have pizza for breakfast, just let me heat it up real quick. Also, take a bath too, we’re going to go see your grandma and grandpa later,” y/n requested, earning an eager nod from Jackson, not noticing the way Ethan shifted uncomfortably in his seat.

“Aunt y/n, how about you don’t bring any of us or Jackson when you go to meet grandma and grandpa. If they want to see us, they could just visit us here. Maybe they just wanted to talk to you,” Ethan shrugged, trying his best to act nonchalant. He didn’t want him or any of his siblings to be there when their grandparents dropped the bomb on his aunt y/n.

He especially didn’t want to see the disappointment on her face when she finds out he was the one who called their grandparents in a fit of rage before deciding he enjoyed living with his aunt. He knew that she would fight to keep custody of them, but he didn’t want to be there to witness the harsh exchange of words he was sure would happen.

“Are you sure I can leave you three here? I mean, I’ll still bring Allie with me, but are you sure you’ll take care of your younger brother?” y/n questioned, raising a brow at Ethan as she crossed her arms.

“Yes, I will. As a matter of fact, can I please borrow your phone? I’ll just put my number in and everything,” Ethan requested, earning a sigh from y/n as she unlocked her phone and handed it to Ethan. He grabbed her phone eagerly as he began scrolling through y/n’s contacts, looking for Bucky’s phone number and inputting it into his phone before placing his contact in his aunt’s phone.

He handed y/n her phone back, a small smile of victory on his face as he stared contently at Bucky’s number in his phone.

“I saw that. Why the hell did you save his number?” Olivia whispered, staring at Ethan in curiosity.

“Something’s going to happen and I need him to be there for aunt y/n when it does,” Ethan shook his head dismissively.

“What? Are you supposed to be some kind of psychic?” Olivia scoffed, eating a forkful of eggs.

“No, but I did something and I have a feeling aunt y/n’s going to find out about it later,” Ethan shook his head.

Forty minutes before four, y/n, Allie, and Allie’s baby bag in her arms, she left the building, waving goodbye to her niece and nephews. The moment the door shut behind her, Ethan immediately called Bucky’s number, praying that he would pick up as soon as possible.

“This is James Barnes speaking,” came his very serious-sounding voice after three rings.

“Dude, it’s me, Ethan, y/n’s nephew. She just left the building and I think she’s on her way to meet my grandparents,” Ethan rushed to get his words out as quickly as possible.

“Look, kid, I’m kind of busy right now,” Bucky chuckled.

“My aunt has a shit ton of free time. How busy could you possibly be?” Ethan huffed impatiently.

“I have a gun aimed at a man’s head, so I’d say I’m pretty busy,” Bucky chuckled, “but look, if I finish this mission early, I’ll try to drop by for your aunt, okay?”

“Yes, please, thank you!” Ethan exclaimed excitedly before the call was dropped Bucky.

y/n, entering the busy Starbucks establishment, found herself searching for the kids’ grandparents. It proved difficult to do so when she didn’t even know what they’d looked like. Luckily for her, she was approached by an aged woman, looking very impatient as she pointed to a table where an old man sat.

y/n followed her to the table, taking a seat on the soft plush chair, watching as the man took a sip from his coffee cup.

“I’m assuming you’re y/n l/n?” he questioned, looking y/n up and down, making y/n feel inadequate under his gaze. Based on the way he dressed and the Rolex strapped onto his wrist, this man was rich. y/n could barely recall Cassy telling her that her husband came from a wealthy family.

“Yes. Yes, I am,” y/n nodded, letting out a tight-lipped smile.

“I’m going to get straight to the point; how much is it going to take for you to give up custody of the kids?” the man questioned, crossing his arms over his chest impatiently. 

“Pardon me?” y/n’s eyes narrowed at the man’s audacity. 

“Are you deaf, woman? I asked you how much it would cost for you to give us custody of my son’s children,” the man rolled his eyes.

“No, I’m not deaf, but there is no way in hell I’m giving up custody of my sister’s kids,” y/n shook her head in disapproval.

“Look, if this is because you think you owe it to your sister to take care of her kids, we waited until after the funeral to call you up for a reason. She’s six feet under now, you don’t have to worry about her corpse showing up at your house to haunt you,” the woman smiled a fake one, placing her hand on y/n’s shoulder, her words disgusting y/n.

“No, it’s not because I think I owe it to my sister to take care of the kids. I love them with all my heart and they’re my family,” y/n scoffed.

“Family? They’re my son’s children. What experience do you have in raising kids?” the man, she didn’t even bother learning their names at this point. She didn’t respect them enough to do so.

“The only kid you raised is in jail for manslaughter after he killed his wife, so I don’t think you have a right to lecture me on raising children,” y/n shook her head in disapproval.

“Look, we have more than enough money to provide for the kids. If you’re anything like your sister, I doubt you can handle the financial toll of raising four children on your own,” Mrs. Langdon scoffed, judging the way y/n was dressed too.

“What kind of job do you think I work at?” y/n chuckled darkly, staring into Mr. Langdon’s eyes for a response.

“A desk job just like how my son found your sister,” Mr. Langdon responded bravely, pulling a fit of laughter from y/n.

“Damn, so you really didn’t do your research,” y/n chuckled before deadpanning, “I’m an Avenger.”

“And we’re supposed to believe being running around in a costume while destroying the streets of New York is a job with a pay good enough to help you raise four children?” Mrs. Langdon chuckled as though y/n told her the funniest joke she’d ever heard.

“Yes. I make more than enough money to support myself and the kids, plus, there’s the retirement fund and trust fund my good friend, Tony Stark, set up for me, so yes,” y/n shook her head, flashing the pair a grin.

“Come on, y/n, the kids deserve to live with a loving couple just like they’ve been raised since birth. Based on your current situation, I doubt you even have a father figure for these kids,” Mr. Langdon shook his head.

“Actually, she does. Sorry, I’m late, doll,” came a familiar voice from behind y/n as she felt a pair of lips on her cheeks, catching her by surprise.

“Cky!” Allie exclaimed, a smile on her face as she reached for him in an attempt to get him to carry her. y/n, still in a bubble of confusion, handed her over to Bucky as he took the seat next to her.

“And this is your husband?” Mr. Langdon raised a brow at y/n.

“I wish I could have the honor to call her my wife someday. Right now, I’m just going to have to settle for being her boyfriend,” Bucky chuckled, flashing y/n a look of ‘play along’.

“Well, I don’t think the six of you are going to fit in your two-bedroom apartment,” Mrs. Langdon chuckled.

“Who told you about my old apartment?” y/n’s eyes widened in shock.

“Didn’t you know? It was Ethan who called us about your current situation. Hell, he was begging us to take custody of them,” Mr. Langdon chuckled.

“Oh. Well, I’m not giving up custody of the kids and that’s final,” y/n shook her head, getting up from her seat and walking out the café, Bucky trailing behind her.

“Don’t you dare think we won’t take you to court!” Mr. Langdon yelled out before y/n finally got out the door.


	13. i hate you but what was that about

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> y/n wants to know why bucky was there

“What the hell was that, Barnes?” y/n demanded, turning the corner of the street.

“I think I saved your ass, l/n. Do you think those old bats would fall for the ‘I’m an independent SHIELD agent’ shtick?” Bucky chuckled, trailing after y/n as she stomped her feet against the cemented sidewalk.

“They said they would take me to court. What do I tell the judge when they ask me about my living situation; about what’s supposed to be us? What do I tell them, Barnes?” y/n growled, stopping in her steps.

“I don’t know, l/n! I was thinking from the top of my head. Your nephew, he told me to—” Bucky tried to explain his actions only to get cut off by y/n growling at him.

“Ethan? The same one who decided he wanted to call up his grandparents and ask for them to take custody of him?” y/n narrowed his eyes at Bucky, making him flinch away from her gaze.

“I’m sure he didn’t mean it when he did it, y/n. He did it a few days before you guys moved to your new place; he did it days after he lost his mom, y/n,” Bucky tried to explain once again, but y/n wasn’t having any of it.

“When my parents died, I was much younger than he was; I was sixteen. When my parents died, I was left with my Aunt who spent most of her days hungover. She didn’t care about us nor did she make sure we even ate! I knew I had a right to get away, but I knew my sister and I had nowhere else to go to so I sucked it up,” y/n, her voice breaking, snapped, turning to look Bucky deep in his eyes.

“Well, he was adjusting to life with you and you can’t blame the kid. Rich grandparents? If I ended up with you,” Bucky quipped, trying to lighten the mood.

“Well, you’re stuck with me now too thanks to that fucking stunt you pulled,” y/n rolled her eyes, chuckling a little. Seeing the way y/n looked as though a weight was pulled off her shoulders, his demeanor softened.

“Look, you can talk it out with the kid, l/n. But for now, I’m here for you every step of the way,” Bucky smiled, placing his metal arm on her shoulder as Allie smiled up at her aunt.

“Do you need a ride back to the tower or did you bring Steve’s motorcycle again?” y/n questioned, raising a brow at Bucky, slinging her arm over his shoulder. 

“Actually, I brought the motorcycle, but maybe I could follow you to your place like the good boyfriend I am?” Bucky suggested, a coy smile finding its way to his face.

“Oh, really?” y/n questioned, raising a brow at Bucky.

“I mean, I want to spend time with Allie, plus your nephew told me to be there for you. I know we don’t get along that well, but I told your nephew I would be there for you and I’m a man of my word,” Bucky smirked proudly.

“Yeah, sure, I’ll see you at the apartment. Can I have my niece back now?” y/n questioned, staring at Allie who seemed contently nuzzled against Bucky’s chest.

“I think you’re going to have to pry her off me, l/n,” Bucky chuckled.

“Allie, come on, it’s time to say bye to Bucky,” y/n whispered, trying to pull Allie off Bucky.

“No,” Allie responded, a frown on her face.

“Come on, we’ll see him later,” y/n spoke, trying to convince Allie to let go of Bucky’s shirt.

“Really?” Allie questioned, her eyes widening with excitement.

“Yeah, sweetie. You could play with Mr. Hippo with Bucky,” y/n smiled, earning a slow nod from Allie before she practically leaped from Bucky’s arms and into y/n’s in excitement.

“See you latow, Cky!” she exclaimed, waving her tiny hands as y/n unlocked the door to her car and strapped Allie into her car seat.

“Bye, Allie,” Bucky smiled softly before walking back to where he parked his motorcycle.

y/n, though her mind was clouded with thoughts of how her talk with Ethan go down, managed to keep her focus on the road and the road only. She managed to block out any and all distractions that appeared on the side of the road; even managing to block out the quinjet flying overhead, appearing as though it were following her car.

The drive, considering the fact that she blatantly ignored the quinjet flying overhead, was a peaceful one. Allie didn’t make a fuss about being strapped to a car seat, nor did she whine over the fact that she was hungry; she just sat peacefully in her seat, playing with the tiny stuffed animals attached to the mobile over her seat.

“Alright, Allie, let’s just wait for Bucky real quick,” y/n smiled down at Allie, pulling her off the car seat after unbuckling the straps of the seatbelt. y/n didn’t pay much attention to if Bucky was behind her car or not, but she was sure she’d lost him at one of the stoplights.

“Cky?” Allie looked up to y/n, as though to ask where Bucky was.

“He’ll get here, don’t worry,” y/n reassured her, earning a small nod from the girl.

“I’m already here, don’t worry,” Bucky chuckled, matching y/n’s tone. y/n spun around to face Bucky, a smile forming on Allie’s face.

“Cky!” she exclaimed, reaching for him so she could jump right back into his arms.

“For my ego’s sake, I’m going to pretend that didn’t hurt me a bit,” y/n chuckled, earning a grin from Bucky, “but let’s go upstairs, now, please?”

Bucky nodded, following y/n up to the elevators, through the familiar hallway, and back into y/n’s place. There, he’d noticed y/n added a few more personal touches to the house; that there were snacks on the table.

“Ethan, can you get over here?” y/n requested, her voice firm and commanding.

“Aunt y/n, I-I’m sorry,” Ethan frowned the moment he entered the living room, facing y/n’s gaze. He’d expected her to be mad; pissed off at him for the stunt he’d pulled. What he saw broke his heart more.

y/n stood there, right next to the couch, her face stoic but her eyes welling up with tears. She looked more disappointed in herself rather than at him and that’s what got to him.

“Bucky, can you bring Allie to her room, please,” y/n requested, her eyes pleading with him.

Bucky nodded, bringing Allie over to her nursery, leaving y/n and Ethan in the living room.

“Am I a bad aunt?” y/n questioned, her bloodshot e/c eyes piercing into his dark brown eyes. He shied away from her gaze, not wanting to have to face her.

“No, you’re not,” Ethan slowly told her, shaking his head.

“Would you rather live with your grandparents? Look, I told them I wouldn’t give up custody of you, but do you want to live with them? I don’t want to feel like I’m suffocating you or anything and I want to let you decide for yourself. If you don’t want to live here with me, I’d totally understand it and I’d be fine with—” y/n rambled only to be interrupted by Ethan.

“No. No! I want to stay here with you. My grandparents? They’re rich, but that’s it. When we’re with you, it feels like we have someone who actually cares about us. It makes us feel like mom’s still here for us,” Ethan admitted, shaking his head at y/n’s remarks.

“Then please, tell me, why’d you call them up? Why’d you tell them you wanted to live with them instead?” y/n frowned, a lone tear falling down her cheek.

“I just-I was bitter about having to stay with someone who I didn’t see for years. At least with my grandparents, they were there, in a way. And it kind of piled up with the fact that mom died, dad’s in prison, and the weird part about me not having my own room. I just needed someone to blame for all of it and I somehow pinned it all to you,” Ethan confessed, unable to look y/n in the eye.

“So, what changed?” y/n questioned, her brows furrowing.

“When you went to pick Liv up from Midtown, I was there. The weight of everything finally hit when I heard you tell her that you lost her too. I realized that it wasn’t fair for me to take all my frustrations out on you,” Ethan shrugged, earning a small nod from y/n.

“I totally understa—” y/n’s words were interrupted by a series of firm knocks at the door.


	14. i hate you but play along

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the team decides to check in on y/n

“I swear to god, if these old bats followed me home, I’m filing a fucking restraining order,” y/n muttered under her breath as she made her way to the door, looking through the peephole to see who was on the other side, her breathing jagged and nervous, afraid of who could be on the other side of the door.

The moment she peered through the glass, she was put at ease, but also shock; her teammates stood on the other side of the door. Sam, standing impatiently in front of the group, placed his brown eyes against the other side of the peephole before speaking.

“So, are you just going to stand there or are you going to let us in?” he quipped, pulling a chuckle from y/n. Unlocking the four—you could never be too sure when you’re an Avenger—locks before swinging the door open.

“y/n!” a familiar redhead exclaimed, wrapping her arms around her closest friend from the Avengers. y/n, a smile on her face, hugged Wanda back before pulling away and giving them a questioning look.

“How’d you guys find me? Wait, why are you all here?” y/n raised a brow at the bunch.

“Well, you weren’t exactly making yourself that difficult to find,” Rhodey coughed sarcastically, earning himself a glare from y/n.

“So, why are all of you here?” y/n questioned, wiping the tears away from her puffy eyes as she shoved her hands in her pockets.

“Well, we didn’t mean to find you on purpose, we were looking for Mister Barnes, but then we found you and well, you have a right to know…” Peter started, only to trail off, his gaze wandering to Ethan seated at the couch, “Hey, dude.”

Ethan, although weirded out by the fact that his friend was casually hanging around the Avengers, waved back, an awkward smile on his face.

“Okay, kid, go talk to him while the adults talk,” Clint chuckled, nudging Peter further into the room and to the couch where Ethan sat.

“Wait, what do I have a right to know?” y/n questioned, raising her brow as she crossed her arms over her chest, ignoring the way Peter conversed with her nephew.

“HYDRA activity. We’ve been trying to squash out as many of the growing HYDRA bases as possible, but this one…it’s different. They have at least seven enhanced agents stationed there,” Wanda explained, earning a nod from y/n before getting distracted, “Hey, this is a nice place.”

“Where the hell did HYDRA get these enhanced? Wasn’t SHIELD supposed to keep tabs on these individuals?” y/n panicked, nervously biting onto her lip.

“Well, HYDRA got to them before SHIELD could, from the looks of it,” Sam muttered.

“And you’re planning on raiding the base, when?” y/n questioned, raising a brow at them.

“In a few days. Raiding this base has taken some planning with the heavy security of the base and everything. We’ve got it handled, but I think we could really use some of your help,” Sam responded, a cheeky smile on his face.

“Are you sure you really need me on this one?” y/n shook her head reluctantly, pulling a snort from Rhodey.

“Better safe than sorry, l/n. You’re one of the best agents we have when it comes to hand-to-hand combat,” Rhodey shrugged, earning a sigh from y/n. Though it’d been nearly two weeks since she’d gotten custody of the kids and she hasn’t gone on a single task for the team, she knew it was inevitable for her not to get called in on a mission.

“And you’re sure you need me on this one?” y/n hesitated, earning a nod from Wanda, “Well, I guess I’m going back to work.”

“Let’s celebrate. Wait a minute, where the hell is Bucky?” Sam questioned, raising a brow at y/n.

“Oh, uh, he’s in Allie’s room!” Ethan responded, trying to get up from the couch, but falling onto the ground.

“This you kid?” Rhodey questioned, chuckling at the fall the boy took.

“Or better yet, is he Bucky’s?” Sam smirked, earning an eye roll from y/n.

“Where the fuck did you get that conclusion?” y/n shuddered, the thought of having her own kids terrifying her. Having to take care of Cassy’s kids was more than enough.

“Well, I don’t think you noticed it, but we were following you from the quinjet and well, Bucky was holding onto this kid who looked just like you,” Wanda chuckled, searching the room for Bucky and the baby.

“If you’re implying that Bucky and I have some sort of secret family, you’re wrong. The kids are my sister’s and I got custody of them when she—well, passed,” y/n, hesitant to say the last words, frowned.

“Oh, is that, is that why you took the break?” Sam questioned, his voice quieting down.

“Yeah, I needed some getting used to, well, all this,” y/n chuckled nervously, motioning towards the area surrounding her.

“How’d Bucky get thrown into the mix?” Wanda questioned, staring at the tray of snacks on y/n’s table.

“Well, I kind of figured out about y/n’s situation, and this little one took a liking to me,” Bucky’s voice chimed in from behind them. The team turned to find Bucky, making his way to them from the hallway, holding onto a small toddler who fiddled and tugged on his hair.

“Wait, so Agent l/n’s your aunt?” Peter’s loud voice came, pulling a chuckle from y/n.

“Yep, that’s my stubborn nephew who fucking hates me,” y/n mumbled under her breath.

“Jeez, I apologized,” Ethan frowned, earning a look of confusion from y/n’s teammates.

“Yeah, well your grandparents are taking this case to court now, so there’s a chance I’ll never see you again,” y/n sucked in a breath before letting out a nervous chuckle. Yes, she knew Tony Stark’s lawyers could handle the case, but what if they couldn’t?

There was that bundle of doubt growing in her, asking her what would happen if the court found her unfit to care for the kids. She was single, she had no experience whatsoever in raising kids, she was constantly putting her life on the line with every mission. Who was to say leaving the kids with their grandparents wasn’t a better idea than leaving them with y/n?

“If they want the kids, can’t you just…use your connections to, well, y’know?” Rhodey ran his thumb over his throat as though to signify slitting their throats.

“That’s illegal and don’t talk about death around the younger kids,” y/n chuckled, taking Allie from Bucky’s arms.

“Yeah, guys, she’s a mom now, don’t set a bad example around the kids,” Sam quipped, earning a slap to the shoulder, courtesy of y/n.

“Bucky sets enough of a bad example for Allie and I don’t think I want you idiots to do the same thing,” y/n shook her head.

“Yep, setting the example for my protégé’s my job,” Bucky smirked, pinching Allie’s cheek before making his way to the kitchen and pulling a snack from the 

“Oh look, aren’t they just one happy family,” Sam chuckled.

“In more ways than one now that the idiot’s saying he’s my boyfriend,” y/n scoffed, earning a look of shock from everyone else.

“Ha! So, you guys really are dating!” Rhodey exclaimed, acting as though they’d caught y/n and Bucky in the act of something unspeakable.

“You’re talking about Aunt y/n and Mister Barnes, right? Didn’t you know about them? He visited like four days after mom…” Olivia trailed off, walking right into the room.

“Another one? y/n, you poor thing,” Wanda frowned, wrapping her arms around y/n jokingly.

“The Avengers!” came Jackson’s voice from behind Olivia.

“He looks just like y/n too!” Wanda exclaimed excitedly, making her way towards Jackson to squeal excitedly at the way he looked up at her with his e/c eyes.

“Are we going to ignore the fact that y/n’s niece basically told us Bucky and y/n are together?” Rhodey raised a brow, motioning towards Olivia.

“I’m confused. Were they not dating?” Ethan chimed in.

“Wait, you’re serious? Agent l/n and Sergeant Barnes are together?” Peter chimed in. Before y/n could respond, Bucky was right next to her.

“Yes. Yes, we are,” Bucky cut in, giving y/n a warning look before whispering, “Look, if you really want us to stand a chance against their grandparents in court, we shouldn’t tell anyone this is fake. Some of our teammates suck at lying.”

“You’re talking about Rhodey, right?” y/n chuckled, before earning a nod from Bucky as a response.

“How long have you idiots been, well, you know?” Wanda questioned.

“Well, when we started arguing, we kind of realized that well, she’s the woman of my dreams,” Bucky smiled, leaning against y/n’s shoulder.

“Is he good in be—” Sam tried questioning, only earning a smack on his arm, courtesy of Bucky too.

“There’s a five-year-old in the room with you, I’d watch my language if I were you,” Bucky shook his head, earning a fit of laughter from everyone else.

“He’s turning into Steve. There’s a reason we let him go back to the past, y’know?” Sam chuckled, pulling laughs from everyone else.

“Enough about me and Bucky! Do you guys want to stay over for dinner or something?” y/n offered, watching the way everyone’s eyes lit up. Being away from the compound made her forget how much her friends could consume in a day!

“Wait, auntie y/n, why are your teammates here?” Olivia questioned, looking to y/n for an answer.

“Well, they were looking for Bucky, but now I’ve been told we’re going to have a mission in a few days,” y/n chuckled nervously, waiting to see how they would react to her statement.

“Auntie y/n, that’s so cool! Can I go?” Jackson questioned, looking up to y/n with excitement.

“Sure thing, buddy,” Sam smiled, picking Jackson up and lifting him over his head.

“Sam, there is absolutely no way you’re taking my nephew with us on a mission,” y/n shook her head in disapproval.

“Why can’t I go, Auntie?” Jackson looked to y/n, a frown on his face.

“Well, buddy, you’re too tiny to go with us on a mission. Maybe we can bring you along when you’re older, though,” y/n chuckled nervously, watching Jackson have fun with the other Avengers.

“Who’s going to stay with us?” Olivia questioned, looking up to y/n.

“Crap, I forgot about that,” y/n clicked her tongue, a frown on her face.

“Well, maybe you can find an agent to look after them. I don’t think you’re the type of person to leave their kids with random babysitters,” Clint chuckled, knowing damn well how overprotective parents could get.

“The only other agents I trust are Maria Hill and Nick Fury, so there’s no way in hell I’m finding a babysitter in time,” y/n frowned.

“I can probably get Laura to watch the kids,” Clint shrugged.

“Are you sure? I don’t really want her to go through all that trouble,” y/n shook her head, feeling a little bit of pity for Laura.

“She likes kids, it’s fine l/n,” Clint reassured her, patting y/n on the shoulder.

“Then it’s settled. I’m going on my first mission in forever,” y/n chuckled nervously, pulling cheers from all her teammates—and Jackson.


	15. i hate you but i'll always have your back

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> bucky reassures y/n during the mission

It was her first time back on the field. It’d only been two weeks since her last time on the field. She had no idea why, but she felt as though she was that rookie being assigned to Maria Hill’s STRIKE team. Once again, she felt as though she were new to the team; that her guns were way too big for her hands and the knives strapped to her boots and thighs would fall out and she wouldn’t make it back to the kids.

God, is this what it felt like to be a parent? To have to worry about not being able to come back to your family? It was an awful feeling; worrying about anything, really. y/n l/n was not a worrier. She knew the risks of her job, and she’d gladly come to terms with them.

But now, everything was off. Everything was different. Sure, she didn’t go on missions with a death wish, but at that moment, she was more cautious than she’d ever been on the job. She’d meticulously planned out how she stored her weapons on herself, and how she was going to use all of them. Hell, she’d even planned on how to get out from impossible situations like if the ground opened up and suddenly swallowed her whole.

She didn’t care how crazy she looked or sounded. Nor did she care about whether or not Bucky’s arm accidentally got stuck to a giant magnet on the quinjet—it all happened while she was spaced out, unfortunately—because she found herself still worrying about what would happen if she didn’t make it back to the kids.

“Hey, I know it’s hard being away from the kids for the first time, but trust me, you’re a good agent and you’ll make it back to them,” Clint, who noticed the distressed look on y/n’s face, gave her a pat on the back, “just be happy you don’t have a wife to scold you if you get injured.” y/n chuckled at his remark, of course.

“It’s just, with everything that’s happened, I don’t know if the kids are going to be fine without me there, y’know? It all just makes me so nervous,” y/n chuckled awkwardly.

“Well, you have Bucky to help you out with that. He seems to be pretty hands-on when it comes to that kind of stuff,” Sam chuckled, motioning to Bucky who was still stuck to the electromagnet they somehow managed to keep on the quinjet. He’d given up on the arm and stood there, leaning against the magnet as he mindlessly used the applications on the phone.

“He’s stuck to the fucking magnet? How did I not notice that?” y/n broke out in a fit of laughter.

“You noticed. Congratulations. Can you please help me out here?” Bucky pleaded, earning a chuckle from Sam.

“If we wanted you to not be attached to a magnet, we would’ve done it earlier,” Sam snickered, earning a scowl from Bucky.

“Am I the only one who finds it weird that we’re in a flying hunk of metal and that stupid magnet hasn’t done shit to bring the quinjet down? Seriously, isn’t it some kind of a hazard to fly with that thing on the jet?” Rhodey chuckled nervously, eyeing the magnet.

“We had Bruce make some adjustments to it. It’s perfectly safe to be flying around with…unless you have a metal arm and teammates who made Wanda bug to the magnet to attach itself to said arm,” Sam chuckled. Wanda, a sly smirk on her face, nodded along proudly, watching as Bucky tried pulling away from the magnet.

“Alright, that’s enough. We can’t have him exhausted before the mission,” y/n sighed, getting up from her seat and trying to pull Bucky away from the magnet.

“Damn it, I forgot you guys were all lovey-dovey now,” Sam huffed, watching the pair attempting to pull Bucky’s arm off the incredibly powerful magnet.

“Wanda, come on, undo this, please?” y/n pleaded, earning a proud look from Bucky. Wanda, along with the others, frowned before y/n spoke again, “You guys can sic the magnet on him after the mission.”

Bucky’s face fell as the words left her mouth. Of course, she was still going to fuck with him; she was y/n l/n, a thorn in his side. A welcome one, but still, a thorn in his side.

“That’s more like it!” Wanda chuckled at y/n’s remark before letting Bucky’s arm free from the magnet.

“Finally!” Bucky exclaimed, massaging his shoulder where flesh and metal met, the weight of his arm once again making itself known to him.

“Wow, not even a ‘thanks, y/n, you’re the best person on this quinjet’, Barnes?” y/n chuckled, making her way closer to him.

“Thank you for rescheduling my demise, I really appreciate it,” Bucky smiled sarcastically, earning a “no problemo” from y/n.

“We’re about to land so if I were you guys, I’d take a seat,” Bruce spoke from the front, earning nods of agreement from the Avengers before they settled into seats. Unknowingly, Bucky took the seat right next to y/n’s.

“Damn, Barnes, why are you so obsessed with me?” y/n chuckled, her e/c eyes meeting Bucky’s blue eyes.

“I can’t help it. Someone’s got to look after the dead weight of the group,” Bucky grinned proudly.

“Well, if I’m such a dead weight,” y/n paused, a frown on her face, “Can you please have my back out there? It’s just I—” y/n requested, only to be interrupted by Bucky.

“Relax, I’ll always have your back. You’re my girlfriend now, remember?” Bucky chuckled awkwardly, his thumb grazing over her hand reassuringly.

“Right. That,” y/n smiled, letting out a breath she didn’t know she was holding.

“Seriously, you’ll do great and you’ll get back home to them. You don’t have to worry about these types of missions after you’ve fought a giant grape and his army,” Bucky quipped, smiling down at y/n.

“You’re right. I’ve done this thousands of times since I became an agent. A few enhanced aren’t a problem for me,” y/n smiled proudly, resting her head against Bucky’s shoulder.

“That’s the spirit,” Bucky chuckled, still running his thumb over y/n’s hand.

The mission, as expected, was difficult, but everything flew by smoothly. y/n, besides a few cuts and bruises, made it back to the quinjet nearly unscathed as did everyone with another jet trailing behind them, keeping the enhanced contained in special cells.

“I told you ‘twas gonna be fine,” Bucky chuckled, once again settling in the seat next to y/n’s.

“Yeah, sure, whatever,” y/n smiled before mouthing to Wanda, “do it now.”

Before Bucky could do anything again, he felt a familiar tug against his arm, and once again, he was dragged back to the magnet.

“Seriously? You’re doing this again?” he groaned, settling against the magnet knowing damn well he was going to be standing there for a while.

“Yes,” Wanda smiled before turning away, and messing with random apps ads made her download onto her phone. Bucky sighed, there was no getting his arm away from the magnet until the jet landed.

Midflight, y/n’s phone began vibrating in her pocket—she’s surprised it didn’t fall out or break after one of the big falls she took during a mission. She pulled it out of her pocket and checked the number; it was Mike Jonas’ number.

“Hey, Mike,” y/n spoke nervously, awaiting the news she’d been expecting for days.

“So, Mr. and Mrs. Langdon want to take you to court for custody of the kids,” Mike explained cautiously.

“I know. I was there when they threatened to do so,” y/n chuckled nervously.

“But before going at it in court, they want to have a talk. Of course, the lawyers are going to have some sort of involvement in the talk, but still, they want to talk,” Mike continued, earning a nod from y/n.

“A talk? The last time I had a talk with them, this happened. Do they really expect me to show up wherever they want me to show up? I’m not their lackey. I only ever tolerated them for the kids,” y/n scoffed. Everyone’s heads turned to her direction, confused at y/n’s outburst at her phone.

“y/n, they could use this behavior as an example not to keep you as their legal guardian. You have to be civilized with them. And it’s not just you. They want to meet your boyfriend too to see if he’s fit to be around the kids,” Mike explained, earning a groan from y/n.

“How do we know they won’t take us to court either way? What if they find something to use against me?” y/n panicked. She didn’t know, Bucky was motioning to Wanda to let him free, knowing that y/n needed him to be there.

Wanda, immediately noticing Bucky’s death glare and pleading eyes, stopped the magnet from tugging on Bucky’s arm, and in an instant, he was right by y/n’s side, reaching for her free hand. She let out a sigh of relief at the sudden warmth that engulfed her hand.

“We don’t. But you need to be there to convince them not to take this case to court. You need to convince them that you’ll win the case if they even try taking it to court,” Mike explained, trying to convince y/n not to not show up.

“So, Bucky and I have to meet up with the Langdons again?” y/n clarified.

“Why am I involved?” Bucky questioned, only to be hushed by y/n.

“Yes, you’ll just meet with the Langdons and talk,” Mike explained, earning a hum of acknowledgment from y/n. Bucky noticed the way her hand ever so slightly tightened against his as her jaw clenched in frustration. If he wasn’t curious to know who he was

“Will you be there? You said there would be lawyers present?” y/n questioned.

“Yes, I’ll be there as will the Langdons’ lawyer,” Mike confirmed.

“Okay. And it’s not like a courtroom where I have to present evidence and shit, right?” y/n questioned.

“Well, I think it would be smart if you played it off as though it were a courtroom. While talking, you state the evidence you have against them while defending yourself from any of their other attacks,” Mike advised her, earning another hum of acknowledgment from y/n.

“Alright. I can do this. Thanks for helping me out, Mike. I really appreciate it. When are they planning on meeting up with us?” y/ questioned.

“Actually, seeing as the Langdons are very impatient people, you guys are meeting at the fancy restaurant downtown. Le Plateau de Diamants, I believe it was called,” Mike responded, filling y/n with a sense of dread. After a mission, she, who was bound to be a little sore from the mission, had to suck everything up and rub elbows with the rich in a fancy restaurant where she’d inevitably face the kids’ grandparents? God, she was in for a hell of a ride.

“Thanks, Mike. Bucky and I will see you there at noon?” y/n questioned.

“Yes. Please, dress appropriately,” Mike remarked, pulling a chuckle from y/n. The last time he’d seen her, she was in a tank top, and sweatpants—looking like a hot mess. Of course, he doubted her ability to dress for the occasion.

“Got it, thank you, Mike. We’ll see you there,” y/n dropped the call before releasing a huge breath she was holding through the duration of her conversation with Mike. She sighed, letting her head rest on his shoulder before he spoke.

“Who was that and why was my name thrown around?” Bucky questioned, raising a brow at y/n—she didn’t quite see his expression, though.

“So, since you’re my boyfriend, the old pri—I mean the Langdons want to meet both of us with lawyers to see if we’re fit to be taking care of the kids. If they don’t think so, they’re taking us to court,” y/n huffed, her face still buried in Bucky’s shoulder.

“For the custody of the kids? I think I’m pretty fit to take care of the kids,” Bucky quipped, flexing his arm before y/n slammed her palm against it to bring it down.

“That was funny, but there’s no time for jokes. We need to sort this shit out before tomorrow,” y/n smiled tiredly.

“The meeting’s tomorrow? Wait, what do I wear?” Bucky questioned, his expression morphing from one of calmness to that of panic.

“Formalwear. The rich snobs are taking us out for brunch at this fancy French place,” y/n scowled.

“Okay, I can have Wanda help me while you make your way back to the kids. I can handle it, y/n. As a matter of fact, c’mere,” Bucky requested, guiding y/n back to the seats.

“Okay, what the fuck are you planning?” y/n raised a brow at Bucky.

“Relax and take a nap. I promise I won’t pull some sort of prank on you while you’re sleeping,” Bucky chuckled, guiding y/n’s head to his lap where he’d crumpled up his jacket to create a makeshift pillow.

“And you’re sure you won’t draw on my face?” y/n raised a brow at him in suspicion.

“I promise, I won’t give those old bats something to call you out on,” Bucky chuckled reassuringly before y/n’s head hit his lap.

“Thanks, Bucky,” y/n smiled before drifting off.


	16. i hate you but you clean up nicely

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> y/n and bucky meet the langdons

After the mission, y/n and Clint headed back to Clint’s farmhouse where y/n dropped the kids off to be watched by Laura.

“Can you not mention anything about what happened in the Quinjet? They’re going to school tomorrow, it’s not like they’ll find out about meeting with their grandparents,” y/n requested, earning a nod from Clint.

“Of course. They’re your responsibility, there’s no way in hell I’d meddle with your family life, l/n. Calm down,” Clint chuckled, hopping out y/n’s car and leading her into his home. At the sound of the door opening, the kids made their way to the door, greeting them.

“Auntie y/n, you’re back!” Jackson exclaimed, rushing over to y/n. 

“Cooper! Lila! Daddy’s home!” came Nathaniel’s, Clint’s youngest, voice as he wrapped his arms around Clint’s pant legs.

“Wait! We need to finish this last round!” Cooper called out, the audible sounds of a gaming console and controller clicking in the other room.

Besides Cooper and Ethan being cooped up in the other room, Lila and Olivia emerged from the back door, both with a bow each in their hands.

“I see you’ve been teaching Liv a few tricks,” y/n remarked, earning a quick nod from Lila.

“At least we aren’t doing stuff like Cooper and Ethan in the other room,” Lila chuckled, motioning to Cooper’s room.

“Auntie y/n, can we stay for a little longer?” Jackson looked up at her with his big e/c eyes.

“Sorry, Jackson, we don’t want to overstay our welcome,” y/n chuckled nervously as Laura walked into the room, Allie in her arms.

“Oh, no, it’s fine. The kids seem to be getting along well plus it’s been a while since any of them have been this tiny,” Laura chuckled, reminiscing on the times when all three of her kids were as tiny as Allie was.

“Oh, well in that case, I guess we can stay for dinner,” y/n chuckled nervously. It looked like she was going to have to cram planning her outfit for everything.

Dinner, besides the fact that y/n was already planning out what she would wear for the brunch with the Langdons. Hell, she was already planning out how she would do her hair and how she would do her makeup. Would a wig be okay to wear to a brunch?

y/n noticed it was starting to get a little late. Although she didn’t want to interrupt the kids’ fun, she also needed to be a responsible guardian. The kids needed to get home to shower before getting some sleep; they had school.

“I think we should head out, now. The kids have school in the morning and I don’t want to mess up their sleep schedules. They’re getting along well, though. Do you think that we can come over again another time?” y/n questioned, crossing her legs over the couch, holding a sleeping Allie in her arms.

“Of course, you can! Lila and Liv seem to be getting along pretty well. I just hope they don’t end up both working as SHIELD agents. Having to worry about Clint’s enough,” Laura chuckled, motioning to where Olivia and Lila were shooting arrows outside the house in the barely lit archery range Clint set up outside.

“They would make an amazing duo, though,” Clint muttered under his breath, pulling a glare from both y/n and Laura. There was no way in hell they were letting the kids become SHIELD agents.

“I’m letting you train our kids in archery, don’t test your luck,” Laura shook her head as y/n called the kids down to the living room.

“Do we really have to go?” Jackson questioned, a pout on his face.

“Jackson, you have school tomorrow. If it’s okay with your uncle Clint and Aunt Laura, we can probably go here next week?” y/n chuckled, gathering their things.

“Really?” Jackson questioned, looking up at y/n with his big e/c eyes.

“Yes. Now, go call your siblings,” y/n smiled, as Jackson rushed to go find his older siblings.

A moment later, Olivia and Ethan walked into the room, being led in by Jackson. They all said their goodbyes to the Bartons before heading to the car.

The car ride was silent—well, mostly because the kids were asleep—and y/n sighed, enjoying the rare moment of silence. Though living with four kids could be rowdy at times, y/n wouldn’t trade it for anything in the world, neither would she give them up to Mister and Mrs. Langdon.

The night came to an end—for the kids—when they got back to their place and in their beds after warm showers. For y/n? God, she had to patch up any of the wounds she wasn’t able to on the ride on the Quinjet, and she had to plan out her outfit for brunch.

Finally, she settled on a stunning velvet black long sleeved-dress partnered up with a gold necklace, a gold bracelet, and pearl earrings. After all that, she collapsed onto her bed, completely exhausted.

The next day, after dropping the kids off at their schools and Allie at the Bartons’ once again, she headed to the compound to pick Bucky up.

She parked her car in the parking space and took the elevator up to the main area of the compound, where she was met by Sam.

“Damn, y/n. Bucky is going to look like shit next to you. I mean he already does, but you are a goddamn stunner!” Sam exclaimed, hyping y/n up as she made her way to the couch.

“It’s almost eleven-thirty, where the hell is Bucky?” y/n huffed, burying her face in her hands, careful not to smudge her carefully-perfected makeup.

“Wanda’s helping him out with his tie. He’ll be out in a few minutes,” Rhodey explained, earning a sigh from y/n. She needed everything to be perfect and looks? Well, looks weren’t everything, but there was no way she would let the Langdons call her or Bucky out for not dressing for the occasion.

Minutes later, Bucky’s door swung open to reveal Bucky, his long hair tied up in a bun while he wore a stunning black silk suit, his beautiful blue eyes shining under the compound lights. y/n’s eyes widened as the breath got caught in her throat; that man was hot.

“Damn,” she found herself whispering under her breath, pulling a chuckle from Wanda who was right behind Bucky, her eyes glimmering with excitement as the two set their eyes on each other.

“Are you just going to stare or are you ready to go?” Bucky questioned, a smile finding its way to his face at the sight of y/n.

“I was staring because I didn’t expect you to clean up this nicely,” y/n chuckled, getting up from the couch and making her way to Bucky.

“I’m taking that as a compliment,” Bucky chuckled as he made his way to the elevator with y/n.

“Have fun, but not too much fun, if you know what I mean,” Sam giggled, wiggling his eyebrows at the pair as they got in the elevator.

“I’m about to meet up with these people I absolutely hate. I don’t think Bucky and I are going to be having any fun,” y/n scoffed as the elevator doors closed.

“You look amazing, doll” Bucky smiled, taking in y/n’s appearance.

“You know you don’t have to pretend anymore. Nobody’s watching,” y/n smiled nervously, feeling her cheeks heat up.

“Oh, I’m not pretending. This is one of those rare moments I’m nice to you, so be grateful for that,” Bucky chuckled, watching the way y/n shook her head, knowing damn well they often argued.

“Well, thanks I guess?” y/n chuckled.

“Keys?” Bucky questioned, holding his hand out as the elevator doors opened.

“Don’t need ‘em,” y/n rolled her eyes.

“Well, then, I’m driving,” Bucky smirked getting into the driver’s seat. Once he tried starting the engine, y/n chuckled.

“Nice try. The car won’t start unless I give you permission to drive,” y/n shook her head, telling him to move out of the seat.

“Well, can I please have permission to drive then? I don’t trust you to drive any vehicle I’m in,” Bucky shook his head, keeping his hands on the driver’s wheel.

“Why is it that you can’t let me drive?” y/n’s brows furrowed.

“Because you crashed a helicopter that one time,” Bucky pointed out.

“Well, fine! FRIDAY, give James Barnes driving commands and control,” y/n huffed, sinking into the passenger seat as the engine roared to life.

“Where to?” Bucky questioned, moving the car out the gates of the compound.

“FRIDAY, set the GPS to Le Plateau de Diamants,” y/n requested, earning a nod from Bucky as though to say ‘thanks’.

The pair made their way to the restaurant, y/n holding in her breath as she saw Mr. and Mrs. Langdon seated near the window along with another man. What time was it?

The moment they got out of the car, y/n and Bucky rushed to the entrance of the restaurant where Mike was seated in the waiting area.

“Ma’am, do you have a reservation?” the hostess, a tall sharply-dressed woman, questioned.

“I believe so. We’re here to meet Mr. and Mrs. Langdon?” y/n spoke nervously, her hand finding its way to Bucky’s.

“Of course. Follow me,” the hostess smiled, leading the three to the table where the Langdons and their lawyer sat.

Bucky, ever the (fake) gentleman, pulled a chair for y/n, earning a quiet “thank you” from her.

“So, how long have you been together?” Mrs. Langdon began to pry, her brown eyes piercing into y/n’s as she didn’t even give them time to order or to adjust to the atmosphere of the restaurant.

“We actually first hit it off before I went under the ice in Wakanda. It’s a kind of complicated story,” Bucky chuckled, his fingers still laced with y/n’s.

“I’m assuming you’re one of those Avengers too?” Mr. Langdon scoffed, looking Bucky deep in the eyes.

“Sergeant James Barnes. I’m better known as the Winter Soldier,” Bucky mumbled the last part out nervously, watching as Mrs. Langdon’s face contorted to one of shock. 

“The same man the UN was hunting?” Mrs. Langdon’s eyes grew wide as she shifted uncomfortably in her seat. Her husband’s expression, however, seemed proud; almost as though the new piece of information he was offered was going to play a part in his plan.

“They were hunting HYDRA’s Winter Soldier. Bucky, he isn’t like that anymore,” y/n shook her head, giving Bucky a small smile.

“How are you sure he’s no longer working for HYDRA?” Mr. Langdon narrowed his eyes at y/n.

“Scientists from Wakanda. They helped me get the trigger words out my head. They were the only other hold HYDRA had on me,” Bucky admitted proudly, a smile making its way to his face.

“How can you be sure?” Mr. Langdon’s brows furrowed. y/n sighed in response, turning to Bucky.

“Actually, the king of Wakanda himself made a statement about it. Wakandan technology is much further ahead than any other countries’,” the Langdons’ lawyer spoke up, holding up his phone showing off his google search. y/n smirked, as though to tell the Langdons ‘I told you so’.

“Well, what about y/n? How do I know your career—if you could call it that—won’t get in the way of caring for the kids. I mean, I understand having James continue his work for the Avengers, but the kids need you to be there for them,” Mrs. Langdon shook her head in disappointment, her words echoing through y/n’s skull.

“I told the team I’d stop going on as many missions unless I’m actually needed, y/n smiled, her hand squeezing tightly onto Bucky’s.

“If it’s a mission where you’re needed, don’t you think it would be more lethal? I mean, the kids could lose you,” Mrs. Langdon tried to sound sympathetic, but y/n swore she could see the smirk on her face at the thought of y/n dying.

“That won’t happen,” y/n spoke proudly.

“But what if it will?” Mr. Langdon insisted.

“Well, once you’ve fought a mad titan and his alien army, I’m pretty sure you can survive anything,” Bucky shrugged, trying to lighten the mood.

“Well, what if y/n passes?” Mrs. Langdon continued to press them.

“What if I take a desk job? Or maybe, a trainer job rather than staying with the Avengers? The world could save itself, right?” y/n exhaled, her breath shaky. Her remarks caught Bucky off-guard, not thinking y/n would give up her spot on the team for the kids.

“A job like that surely would set you behind on the costs to take care of children. You can barely even afford to keep them,” Mr. Langdon smirked, leaning into the table.

“God, you’re insatiable. I don’t know what Ethan told you, but we just moved into our new place; a penthouse with more than enough room for everyone. Being an Avenger’s just as risky as being a civilian. We go up against world-threatening entities. If we lose, everyone dies. Without the Avengers, we all have the same risks to face,” y/n shook her head, starting to get annoyed at the Langdons. 

“Very well. How do you know your job and home life won’t collide? How do you know nobody’s going to decide to threaten their lives?” Mr. Langdon narrowed his eyes at y/n, carefully watching the way she would react to his question.

“Let me reverse this question. If you get custody of the kids, how do you know nobody would kidnap them in return for money?” y/n questioned, crossing her arms over her chest.

“Well, then we’d call the police,” Mr. Langdon scoffed.

“Calling the police is a bad idea. You have to be able to take things into your own hands. Hell, I have a cutting-edge security system being installed in the penthouse. If a threat were to be identified, I’d take the kids to a safe house,” y/n smirked proudly.

“And if the safe house is compromised?” Mrs. Langdon raised a brow at y/n.

“Then I’ll take them to a safe house after safe house until the threat is eliminated. Hell, I’d keep them in my emergency bunker if it keeps them safe. I’ll eliminate the threat myself and I’d have my teammates help me out. There is no way in hell I’d let the kids get in harm’s way,” y/n shook her head bravely.

“Well then, with you, they’d have security, but would they have emotional security? Tell me, James, do you live with y/n?” Mr. Langdon questioned, turning to Bucky.

“Well, no, but—” Bucky started, only to be cut off by Mr. Langdon.

“Exactly. The kids won’t have a father figure around. How is y/n supposed to deal with Jackson when he starts to go through puberty? Hell, how would you deal with Ethan when he starts dating and everything?” Mr. Langdon scoffed.

“Then, we’ll move in together,” Bucky huffed, also getting impatient with the Langdons.

“Are you sure?” y/n, her face contorting to one of concern, faced Bucky.

“We lived together in the compound and I care about you and the kids and if it makes everything feel more secure, I’d gladly move in,” Bucky chuckled, earning a scowl from Mrs. Langdon.

“Well, you aren’t married! How would they feel a sense of permanence? Surely, as y/n’s boyfriend, the kids would see you as temporary,” Mr. Langdon shook his head in disapproval.

“Then we’ll get married! No divorce or anything else allowed!” Bucky exclaimed, rushing to combat against Mr. Langdon’s words, shocking everyone seated at the table.


	17. i hate you but i'm jealous of you

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> bucky has something he wants to get off his chest

“Oh?” Mr. Langdon didn’t expect Bucky’s response, but based on the look in his face, Bucky’s reaction gave him something to work with. Something he could use against the pair.

“Heck yeah. She’s an amazing woman and I would never hesitate if I was given a chance to marry her,” Bucky smiled, seeing the way y/n held in a smile.

After that, the brunch was uneventful. They ate in silence, Bucky unable to read the expression on y/n’s face. He didn’t know how she reacted, nor did he understand how she was going to act once the brunch ended.

Luckily for him, the Langdons ate quickly, leaving with their lawyer as y/n and Bucky were left there at the table, the Langdons already having paid for dinner. y/n sat in silence, eating away slowly at her food.

“Now that the Langdons are gone, there are a few things I want to discuss with both of you,” Mike started, earning a nod from y/n in response.

“Alright, let’s go,” y/n requested, dabbing leftover food off her face with a cloth napkin.

“First off, were you both planning on getting married?” Mike questioned, pulling out a notebook.

“Well, I was actually hoping it would happen sooner rather than later, but what the hell could go wrong?” y/n chuckled nervously, sending a glare in Bucky’s direction.

“Okay, well, if the Langdons decide to take this custody case to court, it could be a factor to question your character if you aren’t well on the way to achieving the claims you made for the things you said you would do,” Mike stated, is words being followed by an awkward silence. y/n, as much as she cared about the kids, began questioning herself if it was all worth it. Yes, she had a very slight dislike for Bucky, but did she want him to do all those things for her?

She didn’t want him to follow through with his impulsive decision making to help her. It wasn’t right. He didn’t deserve to be the one taking the fall for her.

“So, by the time they take us to court, we should be married and Bucky should be living with the kids and I?” y/n questioned, a nervous expression on her face.

“Pretty much,” Mike nodded, flinching at the expression on y/n’s face. She let out a ragged breath before smiling.

“Thank you, Mike. Well, brunch has definitely served its purpose; I think Bucky and I should get going now,” y/n chuckled, getting up from her seat and heading straight to the car.

“y/n, wait up!” Bucky exclaimed, chasing after y/n, the suit restricting most of his movement.

y/n shrugged heavily, slamming her car door shut as she got in the passenger seat; a sign that although the circumstances had her pissed, she still wanted him there. For what reason? Neither of them quite knew yet.

Bucky settled uncomfortably into the driver’s seat, avoiding eye contact with y/n, afraid of what he might see. He nearly started the car, only to be stopped by y/n putting her hand on his. He turned to face her and she spoke.

“Don’t start the car yet. I want to talk to you,” she looked up at him with her e/c eyes, her voice quiet and timid. Bucky nodded, getting his hands off the steering wheel as though to acknowledge what she’d just requested.

“Look, y/n, I’m sorry for making those impulsive decisions. I swear you don’t have to follow through with any of the things I said. I’ll help you every ste—” Bucky rambled only to be interrupted by y/n.

“Why?” came y/n’s response as she stared blankly at him.

“What?” Bucky questioned, looking at her with a confused look on his face.

“Why do you keep coming up with ways to help me?” y/n paused before speaking again, “Better yet, why are you so willing to help me?” y/n sighed, a million thoughts running through her head.

“Well, I—” Bucky couldn’t find the right words. Not when he, himself didn’t know why he was putting himself through all that just to help y/n.

“Damn it, Bucky. Is this some sort of way for you to mess with me? Are you trying to earn favors? What the hell do you want from me? You’ve been nice to me and it’s fucking weird. Why?” y/n huffed, sinking into the plush of her seat.

“It’s because I’m jealous of what you have, y/n!” Bucky admitted, realizing it all himself. y/n, her mind unable to properly process the information, stared at him as though he had three heads before blinking furiously as though to snap herself out of her trance.

“Jealous of what? The penthouse? The car?” y/n questioned, her brows furrowing.

“I’m jealous of the fact that you have a family, y/n. It’s just—I’ve always dreamed of having a family. Back then, when the war first started, I told myself I’d find one hell of a gal and we’d start a family together; a white picket fence and all that,” Bucky chuckled at how naïve he used to be before continuing, “But the war; it never ended. Not for me. Every single fucking day was a battlefield and I just grew further from that stupid dream,” he sighed, tears brimming his eyes. y/n was caught aback by his confession.

She didn’t see Bucky as the settling down type and she had a feeling he didn’t see himself as that either. Not anymore.

“I’m so sorry. I had no idea, but you know you still have a chance, right? I know you’re an old man, but there’s gotta be something left in there,” y/n quipped in an attempt to lighten the mood. And it worked. Bucky found himself chuckling at her remark.

“That’s the thing, l/n, I just ca—” Bucky shook his head, only to be interrupted by y/n.

“Yes, you can! Look at Clint, he has a whole family even though he does these Avenger things. You can have the exact same thing, you just gotta put yourself out there, old man,” y/n chuckled, giving Bucky an awkward pat on the back. He turned to face her, his blue eyes staring deeply into her e/c ones, a frown on his face.

“But what if I can’t?” his voice went quiet, his blue eyes dull and glossed over with tears.

“You will. After all, you clean up nice,” y/n smiled reassuringly. Bucky gave her a sad smile before taking her hands in his.

“I can’t, y/n. Not without you,” Bucky shook his head, watching the confusion play upon y/n’s features.

“Not without me? What, you need a wingman or something?” y/n questioned, chuckling awkwardly.

“No, it’s not that. It’s just that every time I try imagining the life I dreamed of before the soldier and all this; when I try to see what I used to wish for, I see you there! I see you and Allie and Ethan and Jackson and Olivia! I don’t want what Clint has. I want to share what you have!” Bucky exclaimed, sighing and unable to see the way y/n reacted. He couldn’t bring himself to look at her. Would she laugh at him for saying something stupid? Would she awkwardly put off his words? God, why was this so difficult for him to do?

“Bucky I—” y/n started, only getting interrupted by Bucky.

“It’s just—I can’t imagine settling down, y/n. Not if it’s not with you. I know I sound crazy and everything, but I just need to get this off my chest. You welcomed me to your family, in a way, and since then, I tried everything in my power to get closer and closer; to feel like I belonged with you guys. With everything that’s happened—with the way the kids somewhat trust me—I’ve held on to that feeling; I craved it. But with you? It’s just complicated, doll. I want to be there for you but I never know if you actually want me to be there for you,” Bucky smiled sadly, bringing his eyes to meet y/n’s.

“Bucky—”

“And if you don’t want me here, I’ll help you out with the case and that’s it. I’ll be out of your life; I’ll be out of the kids’ lives too. You wouldn’t have to see me unless it’s for a mi—” Bucky rambled, only to be cut off by the feeling of warm lips being pressed against his.

y/n, when she finally got Bucky to shut up, pulled away from him, a bashful smile on her face as she saw the way bewilderment played onto his features.

“Don’t interrupt me, please,” y/n chuckled before speaking, “Bucky, I want you to be there for me. These past two weeks have been hell and you were there for me; you made it all feel better and more bearable. I want you to be here for me the same way I want to be here for you.”

“Really?” Bucky breathed out, unable to focus his eyes on anything but her painted lips and how he wanted them against his again.

“Fuck yeah. These past two weeks, you’ve been my rock and the one person I can rely on. Yeah, you’ve been a bitch—and I mean you’ve been a serious pain in the ass—but I don’t think I can do all this without you. Yeah, whatever this is is new, but I can’t think of what it would be like to not have you in my corner and that thought, it fucking terrifies me, Barnes,” y/n nodded, being pulled into a warm embrace.

“So, what do we do now?” Bucky questioned, raising a brow at y/n.

“I know there’s a lot on the line for what we’re planning or what we need to plan, but I kind of just want to kiss you again,” y/n chuckled bashfully, biting on the corner of her lip.

“Well, I wouldn’t want to disappoint you, would I?” Bucky grinned, pulling y/n close and crashing his lips against hers, not even minding the fact that there was literally a shit ton of things between them and their seats.

They stayed like that for a moment, pulling away, breathless and their hearts beating out of their chests as they started into each other’s eyes, smiles on their faces.

“So, how do you feel about moving in?” y/n questioned, reminding Bucky of their little issue.

“I should probably start packing up and letting the team know,” Bucky chuckled before asking another question, “How do you feel about getting married?”

“For the kids? I hate to break it to you, but if this is your way of proposing, I’m going to have to say no because if you wanna put a ring on it, you’re gonna need to have a ring,” y/n chuckled, earning a scowl from Bucky.

“Alright. Then, I’ll get you a ring, let’s go,” Bucky chuckled, driving off to the nearest jewelry place.


	18. i hate you but you're not taking the couch

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> bucky and y/n move in together

Two days. That’s all it took for Bucky to pack up his life from the compound. Now, he was just waiting for y/n and Allie to arrive—though it probably would have been more logical for him to just drive to their place—because y/n had something she needed to do in the complex.

Although Bucky assured her he could’ve done whatever she needed to be done, she explicitly told him over the phone “I don’t trust you enough to find all the places around the compound I’ve hid my things in” which he found fair. y/n had a habit of “misplacing” her things around the compound. One time, during a compound inspection after receiving a bomb threat, a few SHIELD agents found a few of y/n’s perfume bottles hidden in the walls.

“Those aren’t bombs. That’s my emergency stash of perfume,” she chuckled that day, pulling the caps of the grenade-shaped bottles and spritzing some of it in the air.

“Our agents found eleven of these bottles, l/n,” Fury warned her that day as y/n’s face dropped.

“One of those is an actual bomb, I wouldn’t stand so close to the bottles now,” y/n chuckled nervously as she started backing away from the pile of bottles on the ground.

That day was chaos for the Avengers. Ever since that bomb threat, Nick Fury warned y/n not to hide things in the walls. She took that as a challenge to hide things in different places and hide them better and every time there was an inspection in the compound, she celebrated not having any of her belongings found in where she hid them.

“Sergeant Barnes, Agent l/n is requesting your presence in the lounge area of the compound,” came FRIDAY’s voice, ringing in his bedroom.

“y/n’s here?” Bucky questioned.

“No, I’m definitely not here,” came y/n’s voice from the entrance of his room. He spun around and set his eyes on y/n who stood in his doorway with Allie in her arms.

“Hey, Allie!” Bucky exclaimed excitedly, making his way to the pair. y/n scoffed; of course, Bucky would greet Allie over her.

“Cky! Up!” Allie exclaimed reaching for Bucky. Bucky gave y/n a look as though to ask if he could carry Allie. She gave him a nod before speaking.

“Watch her while I get my shit, please?” y/n requested, handing Allie over to Bucky. Bucky nodded before leading y/n out the door. She made her way to her bedroom first as Bucky headed to the kitchen to get a snack or two.

y/n, her bags packed with everything else she wasn’t able to pack from the last time she’d gotten back to the compound, found Bucky and Allie on the couch in the lounging area, watching Pink Fong videos.

“Damn, Barnes is a softie!” came Sam’s voice from the other side of the room as he saw the way Bucky even started singing along with the video. Both Allie and Bucky turned their heads to him before they both scowled at him.

“Come on, the kid’s adorable!” Bucky exclaimed, motioning to Allie, who was giggling.

“Can I have my niece back?” y/n questioned, leaning against the doorframe and watching contently as Bucky and Allie played.

“Nope,” Bucky shook his head.

“Come on, man, we need to get all your shit back to my place so we can get the marriage license in a few days,” y/n huffed, earning a look of shock from Sam.

“Marriage license? Barnes, did you knock y/n up? Is this why you’re moving in together and getting married?” Sam questioned, his brown eyes piercing into Bucky’s blue ones. y/n broke out in a fit of laughter, watching the way Sam’s face turned to one of confusion.

“No, I’m not pregnant. I live with two kids and two teenagers; do you really think I’d add another kid to the mix?” y/n scoffed, earning a nod from Sam. Them rushing things didn’t make sense to him, but he was happy for his friends.

“So, how long have you been planning the wedding and when were you planning on sending out the invitations? I don’t think I got mine,” Sam raised a brow at the pair as y/n and Bucky shared a look.

“We weren’t planning on having a big wedding,” y/n chuckled nervously, plopping onto the spot on the couch next to Bucky and Allie.

“Were you at least planning on having catering?” Sam questioned, the vision of what he thought Bucky’s wedding would look like filling his head.

“Actually, we were planning on having a courthouse wedding,” y/n shrugged.

“You? The literal embodiment of opulence. I just kind of thought you would have a grand wedding to top the royal wedding,” Sam quipped, watching the way y/n looked around the room. She spotted Rhodey walk in from the elevator before calling out his name and motioning for him to come over.

“Do I look like the type of person who’d have a wedding to top any of the royal weddings?” y/n questioned, leaning over the couch and facing Rhodey.

“You? Hell yeah! Since Tony basically took you in as his apprentice, you’ve been radiating this air of being ‘extra’ just like he did,” Rhodey shrugged. Everyone else in the room—besides y/n, who was scowling—laughed at his remark.

“Sorry, doll, you’re going to have to face it, you’re extra,” Bucky chuckled, at the way her face fell at their words.

“Wow,” y/n mouthed, walking out the room to the elevator.

“Wait, where are you going?” Bucky, shocked, shot up from his chair, still holding Allie, as he ran after y/n.

“Dumb bitch, we’re supposed to be moving your shit into my place and I have to pick up the kids later,” y/n chuckled, reminding Bucky of what they had to do.

“Oh, yeah. That. Okay, look, you go take Allie to your car and drive to your place. I’ll load the van up with my stuff and I’ll follow you guys after,” Bucky smiled, handing Allie over to her, earning a nod from y/n.

y/n, her duffel bag and Allie in her arms, made her way to the car and to the apartment complex.

“So, you and y/n are taking things pretty seriously,” Sam smirked, leaning against the couch.

“I’d do anything for that woman,” Bucky smiled before walking into his room to get the boxes of his things to the van in the parking area of the compound.

Once everything was loaded into the van, he drove to y/n’s apartment complex, meeting her and Allie in the lobby of the complex.

“You have a guest room, right?” Bucky questioned, watching the way y/n’s eyes widened.

“Barnes, you told the Langdons you were moving in; you should have known I don’t have a guest room!” y/n exclaimed, chuckling nervously.

“You live in that huge penthouse! How was I supposed to not naturally assume you had a guest room?” Bucky frowned.

“The fact that I have to take care of four children and they have their own bedrooms each. Olivia wanted a library, I got Allie and Jackson a playroom, and Ethan wanted a gaming room when he could’ve just had it all set up in his bedroom, so I think it would’ve been safe to assume my place is packed,” y/n pointed out.

“Where did you think I would stay if I moved in?” Bucky’s brows furrowed.

“On the couch?” y/n shrugged, a tight-lipped smile on her face.

“I’m twice your size, do you think I’d be comfortable on some couch?” Bucky scoffed, “I mean seriously, look at me!”

“Then you can have the bed. I’ll take the couch,” y/n shrugged nonchalantly.

“Oh, come on, it’s your place. We’re grownups and we’re together—I think. We should be able to share a bed,” Bucky shrugged.

“Sure. Definitely,” y/n smiled, placing a quick peck on his lips.

“Good, can you get me one of those trolley things you used when you first moved in here?” Bucky requested, earning a nod from y/n as she made her way to the receptionist, asking for a trolley. With one hand, she pushed it to Bucky, following him to the parking lot to “help” him load his baggage onto it.

“Mike called yesterday. He said the Langdons are taking us to court, as expected, and in a week! A fucking week! Damn it, now we have to cram getting the license and getting married within that time period,” y/n huffed, leaning against the van.

“We can do it, l/n. When it comes to rushing into things, we’re experts at that. We rush into HYDRA bases every other day. Well, we still would unless you end up taking a boring desk job. Come on, l/n, you can’t do that!” Bucky quipped half-heartedly. He knew he would miss y/n out in the field if she took a desk job.

“We’re getting married in less than a week. Woah,” y/n chuckled nervously. Was she ready to get married to keep custody of the kids?


	19. i hate you but i wanted this

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> y/n and bucky face off against the langdons in court

And that’s exactly what they did. The pair got hitched two days after the court date to settle who gets custody of the kids once and for all. They’d come to the agreement that although they were a married couple on paper—they chose to keep their surnames— and that they lived together, they wouldn’t let it force or control whatever it was they had between them; that they would take things at their own pace, not paying attention to any other factors of their overcomplicated relationship.

y/n, Bucky, and Mike sat on one side of the room while the Langdons and their lawyer sat at the table on the opposite of theirs.

The court trial began with the Langdons’ lawyers presenting why the Langdons were a better fit for the kids while at the same time trashing y/n and presenting reasons to why she was unfit to care for the children.

Everything was going smoothly until it just didn’t. The Langdons’ lawyer now brought up the topic of y/n’s job.

“Miss l/n is an Avenger. How can we be sure she’ll be present in the children’s lives?” the man questioned, turning to face y/n.

y/n found herself coughing out “agent l/n” before allowing Mike to make his defense.

“My client has been open to the idea of discussing her new terms and conditions with the head of the Strategic Homeland Intervention Enforcement and Logistics Division. She will not be going on an excessive amount of missions lasting more than two days,” Mike explained, earning a nod from Alice Sourman, the judge in charge of handling the case.

“Your honor, what if Miss l/n were to die on the job? It’s a risk we would need to take into account,” the Langdons’ lawyer explained, pulling an eye roll from y/n.

“And if my client dies on the job, would it sting less for the children if she did so while she isn’t their legal guardian? Yes, my client’s job comes with the risk of serious injury or death, but aren’t we all at risk of dying? Your honor, if I were to slip and split my head open on a rock, would that not be lethal?” Mike turned to y/n and Bucky, giving them a wink as he faced Judge Alice.

“And what if Miss l/n’s professional life begins to interfere with her personal life? Her partner was once a wanted criminal, how do we know nobody’s out there hunting him down? How do we know the kids won’t be put in danger due to this?” the lawyer argued, pulling a scowl from Bucky. Why did he think the court would just let his past go?

y/n noticed the way his fist clenched under the table and took his hand in hers, looking up at him and giving him a reassuring smile, leaning against his shoulder.

“Your honor, Sergeant Barnes was deemed innocent and pardoned for his crimes years ago. He, himself is no longer a threat, but should there be some sort of threat against Sergeant Barnes while the children get involved, I would like to remind you that Agent l/n and Sergeant Barnes are both well-trained in combat; after all, they’re not with Earth’s mightiest heroes for nothing,” Mike chuckled, watching the way the Langdons scowled in their seats, watching as the lawyers began to rapidly fire shots at each other.

“But in the Langdons’ custody, there would not be an underlying threat to worry about at all. The children would not have to face the trauma of knowing there are targets on their backs; that they can be used as pawns against Mister Barnes and Miss l/n,” the lawyer argued.

“Well, your honor, Mr. and Mrs. Langdon are both immensely successful people with their preexisting companies. However, I refuse to believe there will not be a target on the children’s backs should they stay with the Langdons,” Mike shook his head.

“Do you have reason to believe so, Mr. Jonas?” Judge Alice questioned, turning to Mike with a look of curiosity on his face. y/n smirked; she didn’t know what was about to happen but she knew damn well it was going to be good.

“July 22nd, 1989 was the day the Langdons’ only child, Harry Langdon, was kidnapped with his kidnappers requesting two million dollars in return for him,” Mike explained, watching at the Langdons, their lawyer, and the judge’s eyes widened. Bucky gave y/n a look, as though to ask if she knew he was going to pull that trick. y/n shook her head in response, leaning further into her seat in comfort.

“And my clients got their child back. I don’t see how one kidnapping could link to this custody case,” the lawyer scoffed.

“Well, it proves that the children are still at risk of being caught in the crossfire of something should custody of them be granted to the Langdons. At least them living with Agent l/n and Sergeant Barnes, we can rest assured they’re in good hands,” Mike smiled, earning a nod from the judge.

“Yes, we’ve established that the kids are safe with Miss l/n and Mister Barnes, but are the pair well-equipped to care for four children? After all, neither of them have had any children nor have had any preparation to raise children either,” the lawyer smirked, knowing he was making a point.

“I mean no disrespect, but the last child the Langdons raised, Harry Langdon, is currently imprisoned for manslaughter. How can we be sure the children won’t end up the same way? Yes, I’ve been made aware of the fact that people change, but Ethan Langdon, the eldest of the kids, made it known that his grandparents don’t’ necessarily show a caring side; that he feels more cared for when he’s with his aunt,” Mike explained as y/n watched Mrs. Langdon suck air in between her teeth, the bitter taste of defeat already making itself known.

“And a child raised by a war veteran and a SHIELD agent would turn out better? For all we know, they could teach the kids how to create some kind of doomsday device!” the lawyer spat, beginning to get frustrated with the case.

“Objection, your honor! Neither of us know how to make a gun, much less a doomsday device,” y/n yelled out, earning her a look from Mike, telling her to shut up.

“Your honor, I believe what my client was trying to say is that the opposition is grasping at straws; making baseless accusations. Neither Agent l/n’s nor Sergeant Barnes’ careers are not based off creating weapons of mass destruction,” Mike shook his head, dismissing the Langdons’ lawyer’s previous statement.

“Well, what about Miss l/n and Mister Barnes’ relationship? Your honor, the children should live with a married couple just as they did before all this. When we talked to them, they said they would get married. Where’s the follow-through?” the lawyer narrowed his eyes at y/n, pulling a proud smirk from the girl.

“Actually, my clients have been married for two days,” Mike nodded.

“Two days? That would mean their wedding was rushed. Tell me, Mr. Jonas, was the purpose of the marriage just to get custody of the children? If the marriage itself was forced, would that not put a strain on their relationship with the children?” the lawyer smirked as y/n’s face fell. Of course, their marriage would come into question. An air of silence filled the air before Bucky spoke up.

“I care about my wife dearly. Yes, the marriage was a bit rushed, but it was something I wanted in our relationship at some point. Before you bring my marriage into question, your clients’ marriage was arranged by their parents. They haven’t even met each other before they got hitched!” Bucky exclaimed, getting up from his seat as y/n held his hand, pulling him back down to the chair. 

The lawyer turned to the Langdons, a look of shock on his face. He sure as hell did not expect to hear what Bucky just said.

“Mr. Barnes, are you basing these accusations off anything?” the judge questioned, turning to face Bucky.

“Yes. Yes, I do. I did my research for the case using resources no normal person has; Tony Stark’s artificial intelligence installed in the Avengers compound,” Bucky shrugged, pulling a weird look from the Langdons.

“Impossible! There were never any traces of that! There was no paperwork to prove it was all just arranged. You shouldn’t know that!” Mrs. Langdon exclaimed, angrily pointing a finger at Bucky.

“A-ha! That was gossip I may have overheard from Sam, who heard it from Happy, who heard it from Pepper, who heard it from Tony and heard it from his parents. I was taking a risk bringing it up, but you clearly just admitted to it, so ha!” Bucky chuckled.

“Damn it, you’re a fucking genius,” y/n mumbled, watching as shock played upon the Langdons’ features.

“Mr. and Mrs. Langdon, are these claims true? That despite your years together, that your marriage was a business agreement?” the judge questioned, turning to Mr. and Mrs. Langdon.

“It was,” Mr. Langdon nodded slowly, watching at the judge’s brow raised at his reaction.

“Well then, is there anything else both parties want to say before I come to a final decision?” the judge questioned, her gaze switching between both tables.

“y/n l/n has been known to have anger issues. It’s right in her SHIELD file. She started a few fires in homes of a few government officials because she didn’t like the way they conducted business,” the lawyer explained, watching y/n suck in a breath.

She slammed her fist onto the table, getting up from her seat.

“Alright, buddy, listen here, I don’t care how much or how little you know about me or my anger issues. SHIELD made me take two months of therapy after the arsonist period, and guess what? Those government issues were working for HYDRA. See? My anger issues revealed their secret hidden vaults full of HYDRA files. It’s not like I attacked a random stranger on the street!” y/n exclaimed, huffing as she stared down the lawyer.

“Agent l/n, how can we be sure these anger issues won’t intervene with your ability to care for the kids?” the judge questioned, turning to face y/n.

“Yeah, y/n. How is it that you can be sure you won’t start any other fires?” Mrs. Langdon narrowed her eyes at y/n, watching contently as she panicked internally.

“Alright, I’ve had it. The kids are staying with me. I have Olivia and Ethan on tape saying that you both are constantly arguing in the kids’ presence! I don’t want that kind of influence on the kids’ lives. Tell me, why do you actually want custody of the kids?” y/n demanded, going over to the Langdons’ table, watching as Mike nervously trailed behind y/n.

“Agent, I don’t think you should be doing that,” Mike shook his head, trying to pull y/n away from the other table.

“Bullshit! They’ve been too determined to get the kids back and I don’t think it’s because they care about them. I’m a human fucking lie detector, Langdon, don’t you dare fucking lie to me,” y/n shook her head.

“Agent l/n, please watch your demeanor,” the judge warned her.

“Bullshit! I have connections to the UN and if I lose this case, there is no fucking way in hell I won’t fight for the kids because I love them and if they do end up with these old bats, I want to know that they’ll care about the kids as much as I do? So, please, tell me, why do you want custody of the kids?” y/n demanded, her eyes filling with tears.

“They want their money! Since their son is in prison, the kids are all inheriting the company otherwise it would all fall apart! They want the company and the money!” the lawyer broke under the pressure of it all. He couldn’t stand what the consequences would be if he pissed off an Avenger.

“And that itself proves why I should have the kids. Despite my misdemeanor, case closed. I’ve proved my point,” y/n huffed, landing right back in her seat. Despite the awkward look on the Judge’s face, she continued on with the case.

“Well, I guess that settles it. Regarding the case of who gets custody of the Langdon children, y/n l/n and Bucky Barnes are keeping custody of the children,” the judge smiled at y/n as the sound of the gavel pounding echoed throughout the room.

In the heat of the moment, y/n pulled Bucky close, slamming her lips against his, her arms wrapping around his shoulders as his arms made their way around her waist.

"Agent l/n, we’re still in the courtroom,” Mike poked y/n in the shoulder, awkwardly making y/n pull away from Bucky.

“Right. That,” y/n chuckled nervously.

“Court dismissed,” the judge announced, making y/n drag Bucky out the room excitedly.

“Bucky, we’re keeping custody of them!” y/n cheered excitedly. Bucky smiled, hearing the words slip from her lips. She didn’t just say she was keeping custody of the kids. They as in she and Bucky were in it together.

“Yeah, doll, we are. You know, we’ve been doing all this backwards,” Bucky chuckled.

“What do you mean?” y/n questioned.

“Well, first, we had the kids, then moved in together, then got married. There’s only one step missing,” Bucky chuckled.

“And that is?” y/n’s brows furrowed, watching as a smile found its way to Bucky’s face.

“Will you go out on a date with me?” Bucky questioned, his blue eyes twinkling under the lights. 

“Our first date?” y/n questioned, looking up at Bucky with the same twinkle in her e/c eyes.

“Our first date,” Bucky confirmed, “So, y/n l/n, will you go out on a date with me?”


	20. i hate you but i love you

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> bucky gets some exciting news

But that was all four years ago. Let’s just focus on the now.

“Auntie y/n!” Allie—she says she’s a big girl now and that people should call her Allison—smiled, running to her aunt, her beautiful blush pink dress trailing behind her.

“Allie, you look so pretty,” y/n smiled, brushing a loose strand of hair away from the girl’s face.

“Auntie y/n, I said call me Allison. I’m a big girl now, remember?” Allie stuck her tongue out at y/n.

“Of course, you are, Allison. You’ll always be auntie y/n and uncle Bucky’s little princess,” y/n chuckled, lifting her though she was no longer the toddler she used to be able to carry around with ease.

“Auntie y/n, I’ll always be a princess. Even when I’m as old as you! Auntie y/n, you’re a pretty princess!” Allie giggled, reaching for y/n’s bejeweled headpiece as y/n flinched away, not wanting to ruin her hair or the placement of the accessories.

“I’m not that old,” y/n grumbled, putting Allie back down on the ground.

“But Jackson said that you said that Uncle Bucky was a hundred! Does that mean you’re a hundred years old too?” Allie questioned, her eyes growing wide with excitement.

“Allison, it’s complicated, okay? I’ll explain when you’re older,” y/n chuckled, plopping onto the bed, “wait a minute, where’s Olivia? Wasn’t she supposed to be keeping track of you?” Allie was quiet for a moment before chuckling.

“I ran away from her because I missed you and I wanted to see how you were doing,” Allie spoke innocently.

As if on cue, Olivia busted through the door, a worried expression on her face as Allie rushed to hide behind the bed of y/n’s hotel room.

“Auntie y/n, I know all I had to do was to take care of Allie and I’m sorry but I lost her when I went to Uncle Bucky’s room to go check up on how Jackson and Ethan were doing,” Olivia huffed, plopping onto the bed right next to y/n.

“I said call me Allison!” Allie exclaimed, hopping out from her spot under the bed, a scowl on her face.

“Auntie y/n, Allie and I are going to head out to the car with Ethan and Jackson. I’ll see you at the venue?” Olivia stated, lifting Allie.

“Wait a minute, who’s driving? I don’t trust any of you to drive,” y/n narrowed her eyes at the pair.

“Oh, come on! I got my license last year, there’s no way you don’t trust me or Ethan to drive,” Olivia frowned, watching as y/n chuckled sarcastically in response.

“Ethan has at least five unpaid parking tickets, his license should be suspended at this point. You? The other night, you drove on the wrong side of the road,” y/n raised a brow at Olivia who flinched away slightly.

“Alright, who are we supposed to hitch a ride with?” Olivia questioned, raising a brow at y/n.

“You guys can hitch a ride with Peter. Tony Stark trusted that kid so I trust that kid. Bucky and Sam kind of didn’t want him in the limo with the rest of the Avengers anyways,” y/n chuckled, pulling her phone off the nightstand.

“Okay, where do we meet up with him?” Olivia questioned, raising a brow at y/n.

“Wait, let me call him up real quick,” y/n chuckled, bringing the phone up to her ear, “Hey, Parker, are you still in the hotel?”

“Yep. Do you need me to do anything? Pick up the cake? Did you need any other bridesmaids?” Peter rambled, earning a chuckle from y/n.

“Parker, I just need you to drive my nephews and nieces to the venue. You can do that right?” y/n questioned, interrupting her rambling.

“Actually, I was planning on swinging on the way to the venue so it’s kind of a—” Peter spoke nervously only to be interrupted by y/n.

“Not anymore. You’re taking my car and you’re driving my nieces and nephews to the venue or I will fucking take your suit away,” y/n huffed.

“Alright, alright. Jeez, I’ll meet them in the lobby,” Peter huffed in response before dropping the call.

“Go get your brothers. Peter will be meeting you in the lobby of the hotel. I’ll see you later, okay?” y/n smiled, placing a kiss on both nieces cheeks before returning to the mirror, taking in her appearance.

She stood there in a stunning white lace and silk gown, hugging her body perfectly. Her face was done with makeup, accentuating her beautiful e/c eyes and concealing the dark circles beneath them. Her hair was done in an intricate updo with a beautiful bejeweled headpiece sticking into the bun.

Today was the day. She was going to properly marry the love of her life on the fourth anniversary of their first date. She felt anxious—wait no, she felt excited. Anxious? Excited? Who the hell cared? Even if something went wrong at the wedding, they were already married.

A knock came at the door and there stood Wanda, Shuri, Maria, Nebula—who although didn’t quite understand the tradition, was more than happy to be a part of the ceremony—and Carol; her bridesmaids.

“Our ride’s here,” Maria smirked proudly knowing she’d pulled a few strings to make the ride much more enjoyable.

“What the hell did you do to my limo driver?” y/n chuckled, knowing damn well her bridesmaids were up to something.

“We paid him to leave, but we didn’t do anything else, don’t worry,” Shuri chuckled, reassuring y/n as they led her out the hotel room.

Suspiciously, they took the elevator up to the roof where, of course, a jet was waiting for them.

“Seriously? You know the venue’s just thirty minutes away from the hotel, right?” y/n chuckled.

“It’s not like you can be late to your own wedding, l/n. C’mon, we’re going on a quick rendezvous,” Carol laughed, dragging y/n closer and closer to the jet.

“It’s my wedding day! We can’t just go around and do things. Plus, that was the bachelorette was for,” y/n pointed out. 

“No. The bachelorette was so you could get wasted, l/n. Although, you didn’t necessarily do that, so I guess the reception seems like the next best place to get you drunk,” came Valkyrie’s voice as she appeared at the entrance of the jet.

“So, there’s no drinking involved?” y/n raised a brow at her friends.

“Not unless you want there to be some drinking involved,” Valkyrie wined, ushering everyone into the jet.

“Wait a minute, this isn’t a standard-issue SHIELD jet,” y/n mumbled, taking note of how different the jet looked from all the others she’d been on, “Are you sure this is safe?”

“I built it. Of course, it’s safe!” Shuri exclaimed, throwing on the pilot’s headphones and getting in the from the seat of the jet, her hands on the steering wheel.

“Well, if Shuri says it’s safe, it’s safe. Come on, let’s go!” Wanda exclaimed, settling into one of the seats of the jet.

“Where the hell even are we going?” y/n questioned, turning to face Maria.

“The place where you first saw Sergeant Barnes; we are going to Wakanda!” Shuri exclaimed excitedly, slowly taking the plane off the ground and letting it soar through the skies. Although the girls reassured her their little detour would not take too long, y/n had a feeling she was bound to be late to the ceremony.

“Ethan!” Bucky called, catching sight of his wife’s nephew getting out a car with his siblings and…Peter?

“Uncle Bucky! Is aunt y/n here yet?” Ethan questioned, approaching Bucky and wrapping his arms around him in a quick hug.

“That’s what I was going to ask you. I didn’t see their limo at the hotel and I kind of assumed they got here first. I didn’t go looking because the first time I want to see her today is the moment she walks down the aisle,” Bucky smiled, already imagining the image of her walking down the aisle, her long train dragging onto the patterned carpet of the aisle.

“I don’t know if she left yet. She made us go ahead,” Olivia shook her head.

“Auntie y/n isn’t here yet?” Jackson questioned, looking up at Bucky.

“Nope. Neither are her other bridesmaids,” Bucky shook her head.

“Uh oh,” Peter gulped, remembering the jet he saw on top of the hotel building when he decided to swing by earlier.

“What do you mean ‘uh oh’?” Allie demanded, looking up at Peter, her brows furrowing—something she learned from Bucky—in an attempt to look intimidating.

“I mean I saw a jet on the roof of the hotel, but who knows? It probably isn’t HYDRA, it could belong to some other rich prick staying at the hotel,” Peter gulped before smiling reassuringly at Bucky.

“Sam! Was there anyone else staying at the hotel who had a jet?” Bucky questioned, calling Sam closer to them.

“Why? Did you book a jet or something?” Sam questioned, getting closer to the bunch. Bucky sighed, looking expectantly at Peter.

“I saw a jet on top of the building, but it wasn’t a SHIELD jet or anything,” Peter shook his head.

“Are you implying that they somehow managed to kidnap y/n fucking l/n? The same bitch who used to sleep with a gun under her pillow?” Sam burst out in a fit of laughter.

“No, but what if HYDRA got to her? I’m just saying, it’s not like HYDRA’s going to take a break just because we are,” Peter shook his head as Olivia put her hand on his shoulder, shaking her head slowly at him when he turned to face her.

“How many more minutes until the ceremony again?” Bucky questioned, turning to face Bucky.

“We have at least fifteen?” Sam shrugged, checking his watch.

“Then, we’ll wait for y/n!” Bucky exclaimed, starting to get nervous. Did she change her mind? She wouldn’t…would she? Then again, she wouldn’t have left the kids there if she wanted to run away.

And that was what they did. They waited for y/n and the other bridesmaids for another thirty minutes only to get nothing. Bucky began to tremble. He knew there was no way that many Avengers could be bested by HYDRA agents, so what was happening? Was y/n having second thoughts that needed for them to reassure her? Did she run away and were they looking for her.

Questions ran through Bucky’s head as he anxiously looked around the grounds of the Stark cabin in search of y/n.

“Don’t worry, Uncle Bucky, Auntie y/n’s going to get here,” Allie smiled up at Bucky, taking his much larger hands in hers.

“You better be right,” Bucky chuckled jokingly, earning a nod from Allie.

“Of course, I’m right. Princesses are never wrong,” Allie giggled.

“Oh, so you’re a princess now?” Bucky grinned at Allie’s antics.

“Of course, I am! Auntie y/n said that I’m her little princess. Of course, she’s a pretty princess too with her dress and her tiara—wait, that makes you Auntie y/n’s prince charming, right?” Allie questioned, looking up at Bucky with curious e/c eyes.

“Of course, Liv!” Bucky chuckled.

“Well, if you’re her prince charming, then she’ll get here so stop frowning so much or Auntie y/n’s going to call you an old man again,” Allie giggled, poking Bucky in the corner of his lips.

“Sorry we’re a bit late, but ladies and gentlemen, you better get in your places!” came a voice from above them. They looked up to the sky to see what must have been the jet Peter was talking about with Valkyrie haphazardly hanging onto the landing gear of the jet.

“You heard the lady! Let’s go!” Thor’s voice boomed, ushering everyone into their seats.

“Cue the music!” Valkyrie called out, urging Rhodey to start playing the music on the organ piano situated down the side of the makeshift aisle and altar.

The ceremony started off with old man Steve and Sam walking Bucky down the aisle to the altar, relief filling Bucky as he made his way down the carpet. At least he knew y/n was there for him.

Bucky was soon followed by the rest of the Avengers he appointed as his groomsmen, then Ethan, Olivia, then the female Avengers who slowly got off the landing jet. Shuri was the last of the bridesmaids to get off the jet and there she held a familiar goat on a leash, a displeased look on her face.

Bucky’s brows furrowed, as though to ask why she had a goat with her before Shuri mouthed “y/n made me do it” in response.

Finally, Shuri made it down the aisle and into her as the kids trailed behind her, mostly excited by the goat she had. Then, Rhodey began to play a different tune; the Bridal Chorus.

y/n emerged from the jet, her lace veil barely covering the smile on her face, her train trailing behind her as she made the way down the ramp, a bouquet of her favorite flowers in her hands as she gracefully—or at least what was her best attempt to be graceful—walked down the carpeted path, Stephen Strange—who she requested to walk her down the aisle because he was one of the reasons they were alive to reach that point in their lives—accompanying her.

Bucky found himself tearing up at the sight of her; his beautiful bride, walking down the aisle despite the fact that she may have been late to the ceremony itself because she decided to invite a Wakandan goat Bucky used to live with.

The closer she got to Bucky, the more tears of joy fell down her cheeks as her smile grew wider. Finally, she stood at the altar, face to face with Bucky as he took her hands in this.

The ceremony went on as it would and finally it was time for the pair to say their vows.

“y/n l/n, you’ve always been a little pain in the ass, until suddenly, you weren’t. It was on that day I started seeing you as something other than an inconvenience to the team; I started to see you as the beautiful woman you are. Then, you welcomed me into your life, into your family. You gave me a chance to fulfill a lifelong dream of mine, and for that I thank you. I love you y/n l/n,” Bucky smiled down at her as y/n cleared her throat, getting ready to read out her vows.

“Thirteen or so years ago—though not many of us were there for five of them so I’m not sure it counts as thirteen—you were that scary metal-armed dude I kicked in the face. I’m pretty sure our first impression of each other sucked. It only got worse when we first moved in together; we were both asses to each other. Then, when I needed someone to be there for me, you were right by my side. You were there through one of the biggest losses and hardest moments of my life. You were there for me and the kids when I wasn’t sure what to do. Bucky, you make this family feel more complete and I don’t know what I’d do if I ever lost you in my life. I love you, James Buchanan Barnes,” y/n smiled up at him, brushing a loose strand of his hair away from his face with her thumb.

“Do you, James Buchanan Barnes, take y/n l/n to be your lawfully wedded wife to have and to hold, from this day forward? For better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness, and in health ‘till death do you apart?” the officiant questioned turning to Bucky.

“I, James Buchanan Barnes, take you, y/n l/n, to be my lawfully wedded wife. To have and to hold from this day forward; for better or for worse; for richer or for poorer, in sickness, and in health, ‘till death do us apart,” Bucky smiled at down at y/n, sliding the ring onto her finger.

“Do you, y/n l/n, take James Buchanan Barnes, to be your lawfully wedded husband to have and to hold, from this day forward? For better or for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness, and in health ‘till death do you apart?” the officiant questioned turning to y/n.

“I, y/n l/n, take you, James Buchanan Barnes, to be my lawfully wedded husband. To have and to hold from this day forward; for better or for worse; for richer or for poorer, in sickness, and in health, ‘till death do us apart,” y/n nodded instantly, a smile on her face as she slid the ring onto Bucky’s ring finger.

“With the power vested in me, I now pronounce you man and wife. You may now kiss the bride,” the officiant announced as claps echoed around them. To y/n, despite everyone surrounding them, Bucky was the only other person there. To her, it was just the two of them as she melted into the kiss as he wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her close.

“Let’s party!” y/n exclaimed excitedly as Bucky carried her with ease, walking her away from the altar, smiling down at her.

In an area near the cabin, the caterers set up their tables as y/n and Bucky sat in their table, surrounded by their bridesmaids and groomsmen.

“I know you’re excited to open the wedding gifts, but before that, I almost forgot to give you mine,” Bucky chuckled, pulling a box from his pocket.

“Barnes, if you’re proposing again, I don’t want to plan another wedding,” y/n shook her head.

“No, I’m not proposing for the third time, y/n. Just open the box,” Bucky chuckled. y/n took the box in her hands, pulling open the box to reveal a locket, a small image of them, and the kids inside.

“Bucky, oh my god, I love you!” y/n smiled, smashing her lips against Bucky.

“I’m guessing the goat was your wedding gift? It was great seeing an old friend,” Bucky quipped.

“No. Wait, I have your wedding gift right here!” y/n exclaimed, digging her hand into the bouquet to reach the box she’d hidden in it. She handed it over to Bucky, anxiously awaiting his reaction.

Bucky took the box in his hands, removing the lid to reveal a small blue and white stick with one word written onto it; pregnant.

“Doll, you’re—” Bucky couldn’t bring himself to continue his sentence, his eyes growing wide with shock and excitement. y/n smiled and nodded slowly.

“You’re gonna be a dad, Buck,” y/n breathed out, a smile on her face as Bucky wrapped his arms around her tightly.

“I love you, y/n,” he whispered into the crook of her neck.

“I love you too, Bucky. Now, can we cut the fucking cake, I’m hungry,” y/n grumbled, earning a chuckle from Bucky.

Of course, he let her cut the cake. He let Allie and Jackson each have a slice when they asked. He let Olivia sneak just a glass of wine (she was eighteen now anyways) at the reception, and he let Ethan borrow his motorcycle keys after the reception. He would do anything for his family.


End file.
